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Re:Google is dead. Where do we go now? by SunshineTheCat on Monday December 29, 2025 @06:16PM (#46427236)
For sure, I've been hesitantly awaiting ChatGPT's first "sponsored" reply, or at least, one that features a "sponsored" product or link.
Re:Google is dead. Where do we go now? by actionfromafar on Monday December 29, 2025 @06:57PM (#46427662)
How would you know?
Re:Google is dead. Where do we go now? by GuB-42 on Monday December 29, 2025 @08:11PM (#46428298)
They are probably going to make them obvious at first, like with Google search.

But they can also make it more pernicious. For example by having companies pay them so that they can train their AI on their products, with regular updates. Not technically an ad, but the AI will be more aware of their products so that they are more likely to be recommended to the user. In other words, that's paying for the right to advertise to the AI rather than to advertise to consumers directly.

Re:Google is dead. Where do we go now? by jabwd on Monday December 29, 2025 @08:32PM (#46428447)
probably, probably and more probably.

Why would they ever make it obvious? It makes no sense. google just had the luck of political inaction, and eventually enshitified it further to the point where you might not know it was an ad.

Re:Google is dead. Where do we go now? by GuB-42 on Tuesday December 30, 2025 @07:14AM (#46432548)
For the same reasons why Google did it in the first place.

To not undermine trust into their product and because ads are lower quality than organic results, and by making them indistinguishable, it will make their product worse.

The chatbot market is still competitive, and while users may tolerate ads alongside their answers, they may not tolerate lower quality answers (that is ads disguised as answers). With Google search, they can get away with it because they are still the best even with the enshitification.

There is another reason why it is in their best interest to make it really obvious there are ads. Chatbots want you to pay directly, sometimes hundreds of dollars a month, they are not getting that kind of money with ads, so obnoxious ads are also a way to say "hey look, if you pay, you won't get ads". It doesn't mean ads won't make a comeback in paid tiers later, but not initially.

So, yes, lots of "probably", but my guess would go towards the first ads being obvious and flashy rather than subtle.

Re:Google is dead. Where do we go now? by basch on Tuesday December 30, 2025 @07:28AM (#46432637)
but google did erode trust in their product, and the american government went after them, so they "made it more obvious" which still really didnt change that most people dont care if something is sponsored and just look at the first result.

it's something that continually needs to be reenforced again and again. somebody will be made example of.

Re:Google is dead. Where do we go now? by MonkeyClub on Tuesday December 30, 2025 @09:09AM (#46433460)
Viber already does something similar, by catching on a keyword in your reply and splashing an ad.

E.g., around here, "happy holidays" would splash an ad for Jacobs coffee.