Source: The Register: Biting the hand that feeds
OpenAI is embedding sponsored agent creation directly into ChatGPT's interface, collapsing the line between product and advertising infrastructure. Advertisers pay for placement while using free or cheap model access to produce creative, compressing margins across the ad stack. The shift degrades user trust by making commercial persuasion indistinguishable from genuine assistance. It also marks OpenAI's move from platform neutrality toward direct advertiser capture—treating ChatGPT as a walled ad network where OpenAI controls both supply and demand.