Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Here's your afternoon TNB Tech Minute for Friday, January 16th. I'm Julie Chang for The Wall Street Journal. OpenAI plans to start testing ads in ChatGPT for the first time. The move marks a major shift in the startup's business strategy as it looks for new revenue streams. The company will begin showing ads in the free version of the chatbot, as well as its cheapest subscription tier.
CEO Sam Altman previously expressed concerns about ads eroding user trust, and had said he sees them as a last resort for the company's business model. OpenAI said the ads won't influence chatbot answers, that user conversations won't be sold to advertisers, and that it won't show ads in response to sensitive topics such as politics and mental health.
Chapter 2: What new advertising strategy is OpenAI testing in ChatGPT?
Users will also have the option to turn off personalization for ads, and they won't be shown to users under 18. A conservative influencer who had a child with Elon Musk is suing his artificial intelligence company, alleging that its Grok chatbot is dangerous. Ashley St. Clair is seeking a temporary restraining order to stop XAI's chatbot from creating images that undress her.
One of her filings said users on X were using Grok to create nude and sexual images of herself, including of her as a child. Her lawyer filed the case in New York County, where St. Clair lives, but it's been moved to federal court. XAI launched a suit against St.
Clair in Texas yesterday, claiming she breached the company's terms of service agreement, which requires disputes to be filed in Texas courts. XAI didn't respond to a message seeking comment. X has said in a blog post it has started blocking users from using grok to undress images of real people in jurisdictions where it is illegal.
Finally, Saks Global's fall into bankruptcy has imperiled one of Amazon's most ambitious ventures into luxury retail. Amazon invested $475 million in Saks Fifth Avenue in 2024. The investment was conditional on Saks selling merchandise on Amazon's website, according to a court filing.
But earlier this week, Sachs filed for bankruptcy and tried to access some of the financing it had arranged from lenders to see it through a restructuring and beyond. Amazon tried to block the move yesterday, saying Sachs had breached their deal and that its equity investment was now worthless. But a U.S. bankruptcy judge was unmoved and gave Sachs access to at least $400 million.
And a quick programming note before we go, we'll be off on Monday in honor of MLK Day, but we'll be back on Tuesday with another Tech News Briefing podcast and more Tech Minutes.
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