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OpenAI expands ChatGPT ads with Sponsored Agents

159 points · 181 comments · vertigoruntime

  1. cmiles8 · · focus · HN ↗
    Who actually wants this?

    I guess we’re about to find out if this helps put out the massive pile of burning cash that OpenAI is trying to deal with, but I know nobody that wants this.

    OpenAI claims we’re near AGI and this is the best strategy they have? Oy vey!

    1. theptip · · focus · HN ↗
      Is this not just connecting you with a sales rep? If so, who wants this is literally every mainstream consumer.

      AFAICT the flow is click ad then get an agent that is grounded in the official sales resources. This should mean the agent has the latest and canonical product catalog, offers, etc. so the users own agent doesn’t need to search on the web.

      Fun ideas - can my main agent invoke these as a sub-agent, so I can get offers from multiple competitors? Can I loop them into a conversation to debate their products and observe which wins on my objective function?

      Concerns - of course if the harness injects (or can be prompt hacked to inject) personal information then it’s a big problem.

      > OpenAI claims we’re near AGI and this is the best strategy they have? Oy vey!

      Where did they say it’s the best? Obviously a short-term bridge strategy to drive “mundane” economic activity and juice the IPO. They are of course working on drug discovery and nuclear reactor plasma physics too. A good strategy has a portfolio of plays.

      1. bbg2401 · · focus · HN ↗
        > who wants this is literally every mainstream consumer.

        Any basis for believing this?

        1. theptip · · focus · HN ↗
          I hyperbolize, and I apologize.

          But it’s a huge market segment already: NYSE:CRM, NYSE:HUBS would be some starting points.

          Also, just analogizing to how consumers interact with retail, you have reps you can talk to, this is a proven model for millennia, and it’s one of the big gaps in online sales.

          “This is not in fact a sales rep” would be a reasonable objection. “People do not want sales reps” is a weird position to take IMO.

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