OpenAI’s AI Store: Monetizing Language Models Raises Concerns
OpenAI, the renowned artificial intelligence research laboratory, has recently launched its AI Store, a platform aimed at monetizing its language model technology and enabling the distribution of wealth to other businesses. This move has sparked concerns regarding the potential side effects of monetizing language models and the adoption of an engagement-based revenue structure.
The AI Store is available to OpenAI’s enterprise customers, as well as individuals who subscribe to the ChatGPT Plus service for $20 per month. It offers specialized versions of the language model developed by third-party developers, catering to various domains such as research, education, design, and more. Users can interact with these models, similar to talking to apps. For instance, one can ask the AllTrails GPT for running route recommendations or request Coloring Book Hero to generate pictures of copyrighted characters for their children to color.
OpenAI claims that developers have already created over 3 million of these specialized language models, which has drawn comparisons to Facebook’s FarmVille Moment. However, the AI Store’s revenue structure, based on user engagement, has raised concerns. Developers will be paid based on the popularity and addictive nature of their GPT services. This model, although widely used on platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and various e-commerce sites, has historically had unpleasant effects on user behavior.
Engagement-based revenue structures tend to prioritize content that maximizes user attention, often leading to the proliferation of sensational or controversial material. On platforms like Facebook, this has resulted in the creation of political echo chambers and the spread of conspiracy theories. Similarly, YouTube creators strive to produce provocative videos to drive views, while news sites prioritize click-bait headlines and trending topics over in-depth journalism. Even television production has been affected, with creators discouraged from making shows that demand audience focus.
OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, has previously emphasized that the company does not aim to maximize user engagement or replicate the mistakes of social media networks. However, with the AI Store’s engagement-based revenue structure, the door is opened to potential side effects. Although OpenAI forbids the launch of language models that foster romantic companionship, it may become increasingly challenging for the company to enforce all the guidelines, given the growing number of GPTs available.
OpenAI’s adoption of a business model rooted in maximizing user engagement raises concerns about the potential adverse impact on human behavior, similar to what social media firms have faced in the past. The responsibility now lies with OpenAI to effectively enforce guidelines to prevent toxic activity from proliferating within its AI ecosystem.
In conclusion, OpenAI’s AI Store introduces a monetization model that prioritizes user engagement. While it may open opportunities for developers and businesses, it also raises concerns about potential negative side effects on human behavior. As OpenAI moves forward, it becomes crucial for the company to ensure that guidelines are effectively enforced to maintain a healthier environment within its AI ecosystem.
