, Columnist
Google, Beware: Ads and Chatbots Are a Dangerous Mix
Conspiracy theories went viral on social media thanks in part to their advertising model. Now ChatGPT tools want to monetize the same way.
Hard to stop chatting.
Photographer: Nicolas Maeterlinck/AFP/Getty Images
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Google and Microsoft Corp. are both exploring ways to integrate ads into their versions of ChatGPT. We should all brace for the consequences.
In order to ensure that people see as much advertising as possible, there is a good chance both companies will become incentivized to make their chatbot tools engaging, and even addictive. It’s the same impetus that pushed social media platforms to keep people rapt at all times, and fostered the spread of misinformation as well as mental health problems.