OpenAI to Add Conversation‑Linked Ads in Free ChatGPT as AI Platform Competition Intensifies
OpenAI will begin testing conversation‑linked ads in the free version of ChatGPT in the coming weeks. The rollout comes as a three‑way AI platform race intensifies — Google is folding Gemini “Personal Intelligence” into Gmail, YouTube and Photos, Anthropic is pushing Claude and new Cowork tools, and other industry moves (Apple choosing Gemini for Siri, Microsoft and Samsung actions, and BlackRock’s labor analysis) underscore accelerating competition and infrastructure challenges.
📌 Key Facts
- OpenAI is adding conversation-linked ads to the free version of ChatGPT, and the rollout is being framed as part of an intensifying three-way AI platform race among OpenAI, Google (Gemini) and Anthropic (Claude), with Claude now a serious rival.
- Google has begun integrating Gemini 'Personal Intelligence' features into Gmail, YouTube, Google Photos and other apps, bringing AI summarization, writing assistance and enhanced search to as many as 3 billion Gmail users.
- Anthropic released Cowork, built on Claude Code, which has produced viral 'vibe coding' demos (for example, reorganizing a chaotic desktop via prompts) and has been described as showing Claude effectively 'helped build itself.'
- Anthropic published a study concluding AI is changing jobs by automating parts of roles rather than eliminating entire positions, with the largest productivity gains in complex tasks.
- A new BlackRock analysis warns the U.S. does not yet have enough skilled construction labor to support an AI-driven boom in data centers, factories and building upgrades, but says targeted training could unlock 'generation-defining' growth.
- Additional corporate moves include Microsoft publishing a five-point plan to address local data-center concerns, Apple choosing Google Gemini to power Siri and 'Apple Intelligence' features, and Samsung pledging to double its AI-equipped smartphone lineup by the end of 2026.
📊 Relevant Data
As of December 2025, ChatGPT holds 68% of the generative AI chatbot market share, while Google Gemini has surged to 18.2%, and Anthropic's Claude has a smaller share, indicating intensifying competition.
Black workers hold just 9% of all STEM jobs in the US, despite comprising nearly 13% of the population, and only 4.7% of software engineers are Black.
(last visited Mar. 12, 2025). — National Science and Technology Council
Black and Latino/Hispanic workers are more likely to experience AI-related job losses, with research estimating 92 million jobs at risk globally, disproportionately affecting these groups in the US due to overrepresentation in automatable roles.
The US construction industry faces a shortage of roughly 439,000 workers as of November 2025, driven by the growth of over 400 data centers under development, an aging workforce, retirements, and restrictive immigration policies.
Fact of the Week: Construction Industry Facing a 439,000-Worker Shortage Driven by Growth of Data Centers — Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF)
In the US AI workforce, Black/African-American, Other race or Multi-racial, and Hispanic workers' shares in AI categories are lower than their shares in the overall workforce, based on 2023-2024 data.
The U.S. AI Workforce: Analyzing Current Supply and Growth — Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET)
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Places the ChatGPT ad rollout explicitly in the context of a three‑way race among OpenAI, Google (Gemini) and Anthropic (Claude), noting that Claude has 'entered the chat' as a serious rival.
- Describes Anthropic’s new Cowork tool built on Claude Code, including viral 'vibe coding' demos such as reorganizing a chaotic desktop via prompts, and notes that Claude effectively 'helped build itself.'
- Reports Google has begun rolling Gemini 'Personal Intelligence' features into Gmail, YouTube, Google Photos and other apps, giving up to 3 billion Gmail users access to AI summarization, writing assistance and enhanced search inside their inboxes.
- Summarizes a new Anthropic study concluding AI is changing jobs by automating parts of roles rather than eliminating entire positions, with the largest productivity gains in complex tasks.
- Cites a new BlackRock analysis warning that the U.S. does not yet have enough skilled construction labor to support an AI-related boom in data centers, factories and building upgrades, but says targeted training could unlock 'generation‑defining' growth.
- Notes additional AI‑related corporate moves: Microsoft publishing a five‑point plan to address local concerns over data centers, Apple choosing Google Gemini to power Siri and 'Apple Intelligence' features, and Samsung pledging to double its AI‑equipped smartphone lineup by the end of 2026.