ChatGPT Targets Ads Using Your Prompts, Phone Number and Email
| Source: HN | Original article
ChatGPT will now serve advertisements tailored to users based on their prompts, phone numbers, and email addresses.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT is now serving personalized advertisements that draw on the content of users’ prompts as well as the phone numbers and email addresses linked to their accounts. The shift marks the first time the conversational AI has been reported to leverage conversational data for commercial targeting, moving beyond the platform’s traditional subscription‑based model.
The move matters because it blurs the line between a utility that users expect to be private and a marketing channel that harvests personal information. By analysing the topics and language of a user’s queries, the system can infer interests and match them with ad inventory, while the inclusion of contact details enables cross‑device tracking and direct outreach. Privacy advocates have warned that such practices could erode trust in AI assistants, especially in regions with strict data‑protection rules such as the EU’s GDPR. The development also arrives amid growing regulatory scrutiny of AI firms, exemplified by the recent lawsuit filed by eight U.S. states alleging that ChatGPT is unsafe for children.
What to watch next: OpenAI’s official response and any updates to its privacy policy will be closely monitored, as will reactions from data‑protection authorities in Europe and North America. Industry observers will look for whether the company introduces opt‑out mechanisms, limits the scope of data used for ad matching, or faces formal investigations. The rollout could also prompt competitors to reconsider how they monetize conversational AI, potentially reshaping the broader market for AI‑driven advertising.
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