Consumer Rights Wiki - User contributions [en]

Happy Bar & Grill biometric surveillance tool development

2026-03-14T01:28:30Z

Omar: added attempted take down

==Overview==
Happy Bar & Grill, a Bulgarian restaurant chain, faced public backlash following revelations regarding an AI facial recognition system that biometrically profiles customers. The system, developed by vendor IP Biometrix, tracks physical attributes, infers ethnicity categories, and analyses emotional states. While the company stated the technology was intended to monitor staff "smiles," evidence suggests it processed customer data without transparent notice or valid legal basis under GDPR.<ref name="ip-biometrix" /> The company later acknowledged testing the system in late 2023 before officially rejecting it, though discrepancies remain regarding the timeline and vendor documentation.<ref name="happy-statement" />

==Background==
Happy Bar & Grill is a Bulgarian restaurant chain operating multiple locations across Bulgaria, Romania, Spain, and the United Kingdom.<ref name="happy-bg" /> According to an official statement released in 12 March 2026, the chain received an offer for an AI-powered facial recognition system from Bulgarian security vendor IP Biometrix in 2023. The company stated the system was tested between September and December 2023<ref name="burrata-bg" /> before being officially rejected on 14 December 2023.<ref name="happy-statement" /> However, archived evidence from IP Biometrix's portfolio displays implementation data and screenshots dated as late as November 2024, suggesting the vendor continued to showcase the project after the alleged rejection.<ref name="ip-biometrix" /> The system was marketed for "smile monitoring" of staff to generate employee performance rankings but utilised existing security cameras for real-time facial recognition of clients.

==Biometric surveillance without notice==
[[File:Customer Analysis Report.png|thumb|300px|''Demographic Data (Age and Gender distribution) generated by the AI facial recognition system'']]
IP Biometrix's portfolio page demonstrates the system processes both employees and customers. A sample image shows multiple individuals labelled as "Subject 6053," "6054," and "6055" with extensive biometric attributes tracked. It is important to note that the displayed percentages (e.g., ethnicity scores) represent AI confidence levels regarding specific selected individuals, rather than aggregate counts of demographics within the venue.<ref name="ip-biometrix" /> Tracked attributes include:

*Physical "Flaws" and Traits: tracking if someone is hiding behind glasses or dark glasses, judging beards and moustaches, monitoring "blink frequency," noting if a subject's "mouth is hanging open," and assigning a subjective "Face Quality" score to determine how exploitable the subject's image is.
*Ethnic Profiling & Sorting: the AI attempts to racially bin customers into categories including White, Black, Asian, Hispanic, Indian, and Arabian, assigning a "purity" or confidence percentage to each person's perceived heritage.
*Mental State Probing: the system effectively performs "psychological strip-searches" by logging internal moods such as neutral, anger, contempt, disgust, and fear to flag potentially "difficult" or "unhappy" customers before they even speak.

IP Biometrix's portfolio page was captured by the Internet Archive on 2 January 2026. Demonstration images within the portfolio contain filenames dated to at least 9 November 2024 (e.g., "Screenshot-2024-11-09-120029.png").<ref name="ip-biometrix" />

''Note on Evidence Dates: While the filenames indicate November 2024, this date relies on the vendor's naming convention and cannot be forensically verified independently. Additionally, another screenshot in the article shares the same date ("Screenshot-2024-11-09-121619.png"), which may indicate the images were generated when the portfolio article was posted rather than during live operation. However, other statistics in the portfolio reference data from September 2023.''

Patrons entering affected locations received no visible signage at entrances or within dining areas informing them that their facial biometrics were being captured, analysed, or stored during the testing period. Happy's published privacy policy makes no mention of facial recognition, biometric processing, or AI surveillance systems in restaurants.<ref name="happy-privacy" /> Under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), facial recognition constitutes processing of biometric data—a "special category" of personal data requiring explicit consent or another narrow legal basis under Article 9.<ref name="gdpr-article9" /> Inferring ethnicity and emotional states triggers additional restrictions as these reveal "racial or ethnic origin" and constitute sensitive psychological profiling. The absence of transparent notice before data collection violates GDPR Articles 13–14, while processing customers' biometrics for staff performance monitoring lacks a proportionate legal basis under Articles 6 and 9.<ref name="gdpr-article9" /> Under Bulgarian national guidance, the Commission for Personal Data Protection (CPDP) has stated that processing biometric data in shops and restaurants for the purpose of analyzing customer behavior, gender, or age cannot be based on "legitimate interest." The CPDP emphasizes that placing information signs is insufficient to achieve "explicit consent."<ref name="cpdp-opinion" />

[[File:AI Surveillance Dashboard.png|thumb|center|500px|''Real-Time Biometric Profiling of Customers (Subjects 6053–6055), Including Ethnicity Inference and Emotion Detection (Burrata Italiana Varna, Varna, Bulgaria)'']]

==Company's response==
On 12 March 2026, Happy Bar & Grill issued an official statement addressing the allegations. The company categorically denied current use of the system, stating that no such software or technology is currently used in Happy restaurants. They acknowledged receiving an offer from GI Mobility Services (linked to IP Biometrix) in 2023 and confirmed testing occurred between September and December 2023. The company stated they officially rejected the proposal on 14 December 2023, citing the solution was unnecessary for their operations.<ref name="happy-statement" />

The statement did not explicitly address the "Burrata Italiana" locations where evidence suggests the dashboard was active. Furthermore, the company claimed to have notified the administrators of ConsumerRights.wiki demanding the removal of the documentation within 24 hours, labeling the information as fake news from an anonymous source.<ref name="happy-statement" /> IP Biometrix removed the portfolio page showcasing the Happy Bar & Grill implementation during a site renovation prior to March 2026. The content is now preserved through the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine capture from 2 January 2026.<ref name="ip-biometrix" />

On 13 March 2026, the company contacted the abuse department of Consumer Rights Wiki's web host to try to take the wiki down.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rossmann |first=Louis |date=2026-03-13 |title=Nice try... |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D7hdJF2AwU |url-status=live |access-date=2026-03-13 |website=YouTube}}</ref>

==Community analysis and response==
Following the company's statement, community analysis highlighted several discrepancies. While Happy Bar & Grill denied current use, privacy advocates argue that testing the system on customers without consent between September and December 2023 still constitutes a violation of GDPR. IP Biometrix's portfolio displayed data dated November 2024—almost a year after Happy claims to have rejected the system. This suggests either the system was tested beyond the stated period, or the vendor misrepresented the partnership status.<ref name="ip-biometrix" />

Additional concerns have been raised regarding IP Biometrix's other projects, including camera systems at the University of National and World Economy (UNWE), and their list of partners, which was removed from their website. Consumer awareness of the surveillance system gained traction on 11 March 2026, following a post on the subreddit r/bulgaria featuring the wiki page. The thread gathered thousands of views and hundreds of comments within hours. Affected customers may exercise GDPR rights by:

*Submitting Subject Access Requests (Article 15) demanding all biometric data processed about them
*Filing complaints with Bulgaria's Commission for Personal Data Protection<ref name="cpdp-bg" />
*Requesting deletion of biometric templates under the right to erasure (Article 17)

== References ==
<references>
<ref name="ip-biometrix">{{Cite web |title=Face recognition solution for Happy Bar & Grill |url=https://ip-biometrix.com/portfolio/happy-face-recognition/ |website=IP Biometrix |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260102224149/https://ip-biometrix.com/portfolio/happy-face-recognition/ |archive-date=2 January 2026 |access-date=4 March 2026}}</ref>
<ref name="happy-bg">{{Cite web |title=Happy Bar & Grill |url=https://happy.bg/ |website=happy.bg |access-date=4 March 2026}}</ref>
<ref name="happy-privacy">{{Cite web |title=Privacy Policy |url=https://happy.bg/en/privacy_policy |website=happy.bg |access-date=4 March 2026}}</ref>
<ref name="happy-statement">{{Cite web |title=Official Statement regarding AI camera allegations |url=https://boulevardbulgaria.bg/articles/happy-tvardeniyata-che-verigata-sledi-klientite-si-s-ai-kameri-sa-absolyutno-neverni |archive-url=https://archive.ph/zdiAC |archive-date= 13 March 2026 |website=Boulevard Bulgaria |access-date=12 March 2026}}</ref>
<ref name="gdpr-article9">{{Cite web |title=Regulation (EU) 2016/679, Article 9 |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/art_9/oj |publisher=EUR-Lex |access-date=4 March 2026}}</ref>
<ref name="cpdp-bg">{{Cite web |title=Commission for Personal Data Protection |url=https://www.cpdp.bg/en/ |website=cpdp.bg |access-date=4 March 2026}}</ref>
<ref name="cpdp-opinion">{{Cite web |title=Statement of the CPDP regarding the use of video surveillance with biometric data |url=https://cpdp.bg/%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%89%D0%B5-%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%BA%D0%B7%D0%BB%D0%B4-%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%BD%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BD%D0%BE-%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B7%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B5-2/ |website=cpdp.bg |access-date=11 March 2026}}</ref>
<ref name="burrata-bg">{{Cite web |title=Burrata Italiana - About |url=https://burrata.bg/about |website=burrata.bg |access-date=11 March 2026}}</ref>
</references>
[[Category:2026 incidents]]

ChatGPT

2026-03-13T11:13:00Z

Omar: Update new website URL

{{ProductCargo
|Company=OpenAI
|ProductLine=
|ReleaseYear=2022
|InProduction=Yes
|ArticleType=Product
|Category=Software, Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Large Language Models
|Website=https://chatgpt.com/
|Description=ChatGPT data has been mishandled in the past, and is worsening with court-ordered data retention and integrated advertising.
|Logo=OpenAI logo (symbol).svg
}}

'''ChatGPT''' (Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a generative artificial intelligence application developed and marketed by [[OpenAI]]. It was released on November 30th, 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-30 |title=Introducing ChatGPT |url=https://openai.com/index/chatgpt/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260219054935/https://openai.com/index/chatgpt/ |archive-date=19 Feb 2026|access-date=2026-01-26 |website=OpenAI}}</ref> It is a large language model (LLM) specialized in dialog that can perform human-like conversations. Various iterations of ChatGPT include GPT-3, GPT-4, GPT-4o, and previews of OpenAI-o1, OpenAI-o1 mini and GPT-5.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-09 |title=ChatGPT version history: Evolution timeline |url=https://nexos.ai/blog/chatgpt-version-history/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260217071448/https://nexos.ai/blog/chatgpt-version-history/ |archive-date=17 Feb 2026|access-date=2026-01-26 |website=nexos.ai}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hayat |first=Usman |date=2025-08-22 |title=ChatGPT Version History List, Changelog & Latest Releases |url=https://wpexperts.io/blog/chatgpt-version-history/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251023153623/https://wpexperts.io/blog/chatgpt-version-history/ |archive-date=23 Oct 2025|access-date=2026-01-26 |website=WPExperts.io}}</ref>

==Consumer-impact summary==
===User Freedom===
Users who are not logged in can use ChatGPT, but their access is limited (for example, they can only have one conversation at a time and cannot save chat history).<ref>{{Cite web |title=The ChatGPT home page |url=https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9125172-the-chatgpt-home-page |url-status=live |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=OpenAI Help Center |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260214024602/https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9125172-the-chatgpt-home-page |archive-date=14 Feb 2026}}</ref> After GPT-5’s release, manual model selection is not available to all users: OpenAI limits the ChatGPT “model picker” to paid tiers, while other users may be routed automatically (e.g., via “Auto,” which can switch between model variants).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Model Release Notes |url=https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9624314-model-release-notes |website=OpenAI Help Center |access-date=2026-02-19 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251230143058/https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9624314-model-release-notes |archive-date=30 Dec 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ChatGPT Enterprise and Edu - Models & Limits |url=https://help.openai.com/en/articles/11165333-chatgpt-enterprise-and-edu-models-limits |website=OpenAI Help Center |access-date=2026-02-19 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251211113140/https://help.openai.com/en/articles/11165333-chatgpt-enterprise-and-edu-models-limits |archive-date=11 Dec 2025}}</ref>

===User Privacy===
A mobile phone number in a friendly country is required to better track your identity.{{Citation needed}}

====Data policy====
From OpenAI's data usage policy:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Data Usage for Consumer Services FAQ {{!}} OpenAI Help Center |url=https://help.openai.com/en/articles/7039943-data-usage-for-consumer-services-faq |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260210234712/https://help.openai.com/en/articles/7039943-data-usage-for-consumer-services-faq |archive-date=2026-02-10 |access-date=2026-01-27}}</ref>
{{Quote|We share content with a select group of trusted service providers that help us provide our services. We share the minimum amount of content we need in order to accomplish this purpose and our service providers are subject to strict confidentiality and security obligations. We do not use or share user content for marketing or advertising purposes.}}
The wording does not detail the extent of conversations shared with OpenAI's trusted service providers.

====Misleading advertising====
ChatGPT terms of service say it should not be used to make decisions about people.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Terms of Use {{!}} OpenAI |url=https://openai.com/policies/terms-of-use/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260123055141/https://openai.com/policies/terms-of-use/ |archive-date=2026-01-23 |access-date=2026-01-27}}</ref> However, their advertising claims it is "PhD level" and makes other claims that seem to imply it is reliable. Many people use ChatGPT as if its output were meaningful, reliable, or a substitute for interaction with a person, with some cases involving "relationships" with the AI. [[ChatGPT-4o]] was one of their models known for inducing a lot of vulnerable users into AI psychosis.
===Billing and moderation===
Credits (money) expire automatically with no notification, and the credit balance interface makes this process confusing. You must maintain a positive account balance, and you are auto-billed a fixed amount if it goes negative. The interface of users from the United States that have no subscription (Free tier) or are in the Go subscription tier shows integrated ads that appear inside the chats.
Accounts can be banned and credits confiscated for typing the wrong things in chat, with no recourse.{{Citation needed}}

===Market Control===
Global market share data shows ChatGPT is the most used chatbot in the world (79.98% as of February 2026)<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=StatCounter |date=Feb 2026 |title=AI Chatbot Market Share Worldwide |url=https://gs.statcounter.com/ai-chatbot-market-share |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/stjr5 |archive-date=2026-03-09 |access-date=9 Mar 2026 |website=statcounter.com}}</ref>. However, adoption has been declined since 2025 due to recent incidents, controversial decisions and comparable competitors, such as [[Google Gemini]] and [[Claude]]. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Nolan |first=Beatrice |date=5 Feb 2026 |title=ChatGPT’s market share is slipping as Google and rivals close the gap, app-tracker data shows |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/chatgpt-market-share-slipping-google-155419736.html |url-status=live |access-date=9 Mar 2026 |website=Yahoo Finance}}</ref>

==Incidents==
===Security breach (2023)===
On March 20, 2023 a bug allowed some users to see other users' conversation titles. Sam Altman, OpenAI's CEO, stated users couldn't view other users' conversation content. After the bug was fixed, users reported they were unable to view their conversation history. Later reports showed this issue was much bigger than it was thought at first, with OpenAI reporting there were leaks of the users' name, last name, e-mail address, payment address, and partial credit card information.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Simo |first=Fidgi |date=20 March 2023 |title=March 20 ChatGPT outage: Here’s what happened |url=https://openai.com/index/march-20-chatgpt-outage/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260210072430/https://openai.com/index/march-20-chatgpt-outage/ |archive-date=10 Feb 2026|access-date=26 Jan 2026 |website=OpenAI}}</ref>

===ChatGPT-4o (2024-2026)===
{{Main|ChatGPT-4o}}
On may 13, 2024, OpenAI announced and released the model ChatGPT-4o.<ref>{{Cite web |author=OpenAI |date=13 May 2024 |title=Hello, GPT-4o |url=https://openai.com/es-ES/index/hello-gpt-4o/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251216045649/https://openai.com/es-ES/index/hello-gpt-4o/ |archive-date=16 Dec 2025|access-date=2026-02-17 |website=OpenAI}}</ref> The model was temporarily retired from the public in April 2025 due to an update that caused the model to have excessive sycophancy. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Franzen |first=Carl |date=30 Apr 2025 |title=OpenAI rolls back ChatGPT's sycophancy and explains what went wrong |url=https://venturebeat.com/ai/openai-rolls-back-chatgpts-sycophancy-and-explains-what-went-wrong |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250815154215/https://venturebeat.com/ai/openai-rolls-back-chatgpts-sycophancy-and-explains-what-went-wrong/ |archive-date=15 Aug 2025|access-date=15 Feb 2026 |website=VentureBeat}}</ref>It also had several controversies because of users developing [[wikipedia:Chatbot_psychosis|AI psychosis]], with some severe cases ending with users committing suicide. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Hill |first=Kashmir |date=13 Jun 2025 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/technology/chatgpt-ai-chatbots-conspiracies.html|title=They Asked an A.I. Chatbot Questions. The Answers Sent Them Spiraling. |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260117185232/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/technology/chatgpt-ai-chatbots-conspiracies.html |archive-date=17 Jan 2026|access-date=2025-02-15 |website=The New York Times}}</ref>
With the launch of GPT-5 in August 2025, OpenAI removed legacy models from non-API users, such as GPT-4o. This decision caused an outrage, with users complaining about the removal of the models along with the complaints about GPT-5. OpenAI's response was to end paywalling these older models, making them available only for Plus users.
In 2026, OpenAI announced they will be removing definitely GPT-4o and other models, such as GPT-5 and GPT-4.1. On February 13, 2026, 4o and other legacy models were removed for non-API users, causing again controversies in social media. These legacy models will be removed for API-users on April 2026. {{Citation needed}}

===Users' data retention by court mandate (May 2025 - October 2025)===
On May 13, 2025, New York Times filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement. A court in New York mandated OpenAI to preserve users' conversation logs, including data from deleted conversations and temporary conversations. This affected Free, Plus, Pro and Team subscription tiers and also non Zero-Data-Retention API users. Edu, Enterprise tiers and Zero-Data-Retention API users were exempt from this.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bradbury |first=Danny |date=6 Jun 2025 |title=OpenAI forced to preserve ChatGPT chats |url=https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2025/06/openai-forced-to-preserve-chatgpt-chats |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251114012548/https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2025/06/openai-forced-to-preserve-chatgpt-chats |archive-date=14 Nov 2025|access-date=26 Jan 2026 |website=Malwarebytes}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=R |first=Sudha |date=15 Jul 2025 |title=ChatGPT To Retain Conversations Indefinitely |url=https://medium.com/aimonks/court-orders-openai-to-retain-chatgpt-conversations-indefinitely-what-you-need-to-know-1530f24501a6 |url-status=live |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=26 Jan 2026 |website=Medium}}</ref>  On September 26, 2025, the preservation order was revoked. However, some deleted and temporary chats will still be monitored for being flagged.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Belanger |first=Ashley |date=10 Oct 2025 |title=OpenAI will stop saving most ChatGPT users’ deleted chats |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/10/openai-no-longer-forced-to-save-deleted-chats-but-some-users-still-affected/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260101145932/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/10/openai-no-longer-forced-to-save-deleted-chats-but-some-users-still-affected/ |archive-date=1 Jan 2026|access-date=26 Jan 2026 |website=Ars Technica}}</ref>

===GPT-5 release (August 2025)===
On August 7, 2025, OpenAI released their newest model, GPT-5. The next day, several users complained in social media about the performance of the model, claiming it was underwhelming and was "dumber" than the previous model. Users also realised OpenAI's platform was most of the time setting the lowest-performance GPT-5 models and discovered they can make the platform to set the better-performance models by adding "think harder" in prompts. Sam Altman claimed that a "malfunction" of the autoswitcher was the reason behind GPT-5 performance.
<ref>{{Cite web |last=Edwards |first=Benj |date=11 Aug 2025 |title=The GPT-5 rollout has been a big mess |url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2025/08/the-gpt-5-rollout-has-been-a-big-mess/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260109001515/https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2025/08/the-gpt-5-rollout-has-been-a-big-mess/ |archive-date=9 Jan 2026|access-date=5 Feb 2026 |website=Ars Technica}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |last=Franzen |first=Carl |date=8 Aug 2025 |title=OpenAI returns old models to ChatGPT as Sam Altman admits ‘bumpy’ GPT-5 rollout |url=https://venturebeat.com/business/openai-returns-old-models-to-chatgpt-as-sam-altman-admits-bumpy-gpt-5-rollout |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/hunUK |archive-date=2026-02-05 |access-date=5 Feb 2026 |website=VentureBeat}}</ref>

===Age verification (2026)===
With a justification to "help teens have an age-appropriate experience on ChatGPT", the platform will be implementing globally an [[age verification]] system to detect if a user is over 18 to allow them to access to mature content. OpenAI will scan and analyze the user's account, their conversations and their behavior - including the times of a day they use ChatGPT - to estimate their age. If this system detects a user as underage, it will use third-party tools provided by [[Persona]] to estimate their age, asking the user to upload a selfie or their government ID. If the user refuses to send a selfie or their ID, the platform will limit ChatGPT's generated content.<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 Jan 2026 |title=Age prediction in ChatGPT |url=https://help.openai.com/en/articles/12652064-age-prediction-in-chatgpt |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260119032400/https://help.openai.com/en/articles/12652064-age-prediction-in-chatgpt |archive-date=19 Jan 2026|access-date=26 Jan 2026 |website=OpenAI}}</ref>

===Integrated ads (February 2026)===
On January 16, 2026, OpenAI announced that they will be implementing ads for "testing purposes". <ref>{{Cite web |last=Simo |first=Fidgi |date=16 Jan 2026 |title=Our approach to advertising and expanding access to ChatGPT |url=https://openai.com/index/our-approach-to-advertising-and-expanding-access/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260118192220/https://openai.com/index/our-approach-to-advertising-and-expanding-access/ |archive-date=18 Jan 2026|access-date=25 Jan 2026 |website=OpenAI}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cirello |first=Rafaelle F |last2=Backholer |first2=Kathryn |date=23 Jan 2026 |title=OpenAI will put ads in ChatGPT. This opens a new door for dangerous influence |url=https://theconversation.com/openai-will-put-ads-in-chatgpt-this-opens-a-new-door-for-dangerous-influence-273806 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260125175609/https://theconversation.com/openai-will-put-ads-in-chatgpt-this-opens-a-new-door-for-dangerous-influence-273806 |archive-date=25 Jan 2026|access-date=26 Jan 2026}}</ref> On February 9, 2026, ads rolled out, affecting users over 18 from the US who are in Free and Go subscription tiers. Pro, Business and Enterprise tiers are exempt from this. These ads are [[Personalized Ads|personalized ads]] that appear at the bottom of ChatGPT's messages, showing the sponsored site name next to a "Sponsored" text, and below it, links to the sponsored site. OpenAI stated the ads that appear are based on current conversations, ads that user has engaged with, and past chats and ChatGPT's memories. OpenAI also claims the data provided to show ads "it's not shared with advertisers". It is possible to opt-out for getting personalized ads and delete ads data.  <ref>https://x.com/OpenAI/status/2020936703763153010 - Archived: https://megalodon.jp/2026-0304-0444-55/https://x.com:443/OpenAI/status/2020936703763153010</ref> The announcement and release of this patch has raised several concerns about privacy <ref>{{Cite web |last=Werthmuller |first=Digby |date=1 Mar 2026 |title=Privacy fears as OpenAI trials ads in its ChatGPT chatbot in the US |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-02/open-ai-testing-ads-in-chatgpt-in-us-plans-to-rollout-globally/106377798 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/OEdhY |archive-date=2026-03-02 |access-date=3 Mar 2026 |website=ABC.net}}</ref>, data usage, ad experience potentially becoming worse <ref>{{Cite web |last=Serazio |first=Michael |date=3 Mar 2026 |title=AI Is Going to Revolutionize Advertising in the Worst Imaginable Way |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/207106/chatgpt-ads-open-ai-revolutionize-advertising-worst-imaginable-way |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/w2bJw |archive-date=2026-03-03 |access-date=3 Mar 2026 |website=The New Republic}}</ref>, and the AI usage to manipulate users. After the ad release in the US, users have experienced that ads can appear on a new conversation by just sending the first prompt, something that was considered as aggresive advertising. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Adegbola |first=Anu |date=19 Feb 2026 |title=ChatGPT ads spotted and they are quite aggressive |url=https://searchengineland.com/chatgpt-ads-spotted-and-they-are-quite-aggressive-469651 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/V5bRc |archive-date=2026-03-03 |access-date=3 Mar 2026 |website=Search Engine Land}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web |last=Kasanmascheff |first=Markus|date=21 Feb 2026 |title=ChatGPT Ads Now Hit on Your Very First Message |url=https://winbuzzer.com/2026/02/21/chatgpt-ads-now-appearing-first-prompt-free-users-openai-xcxwbn/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.is/K1l8s |archive-date=2026-03-03 |access-date=3 Mar 2026 |website=WinBuzzer}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[OpenAI]]
*[[Artificial intelligence]]
*[[Claude]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

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[[Category:OpenAI]]
[[Category:Artificial intelligence]]