There are a lot of expensive-to-manage products that are basically free for users: Google search, Instagram, LinkedIn. The reason they can be offered for free is because when you’re using these products, they’re collecting your data, and they use that data to more effectively target ads at you.
Now there are a new set of basically free (or massively subsidized) AI products. Even just from OpenAI, there’s ChatGPT, Sora, Atlas. These services are free because they’re also collecting your data, but they aren’t just using it for ads.
They’re using the collected data to improve the quality of their models. Improved models can then be applied to more directly monetizable tasks, l…
There are a lot of expensive-to-manage products that are basically free for users: Google search, Instagram, LinkedIn. The reason they can be offered for free is because when you’re using these products, they’re collecting your data, and they use that data to more effectively target ads at you.
Now there are a new set of basically free (or massively subsidized) AI products. Even just from OpenAI, there’s ChatGPT, Sora, Atlas. These services are free because they’re also collecting your data, but they aren’t just using it for ads.
They’re using the collected data to improve the quality of their models. Improved models can then be applied to more directly monetizable tasks, like automation or R&D. Your chat messages, video comments, and browser usage are all very helpful for teaching an AI model how to perform better.
As the saying goes, "If you’re not paying for the product, then you are the product." It’s still true, but now you are contributing your intelligence, rather than just your attention.