ChatGPT ads can now target you by email or phone number

What happened: Advertisers can upload email addresses or phone numbers to aim ChatGPT ads at specific people on the free tiers. 404 Media tested it by buying ads warning that humans read chats. Opting out of personalized ads does not stop this targeting, and ads can still follow what you type in the current chat. Uploaded lists must include more than 25,000 people, and one tracker has logged over 43,000 ChatGPT ads. OpenAI would not say whether it scrambles raw emails and phone numbers the way Meta does.
The claim: OpenAI says advertisers never see which people matched and that uploaded lists are usually deleted within a day.
Austin's take: Austin sees ads as a natural move for a company under revenue pressure, pointing to reported OpenAI spending of up to $700 billion through 2030, over a billion weekly users, and Anthropic reportedly posting record, profitable numbers this week. He asked viewers whether ads will feel normal or ruin the experience.
Why it matters: Your contact info can now follow you into a chat app, much like Facebook ads, and the usual opt-out does not fully turn it off.
What to do: If you use free ChatGPT, assume ads may be targeted using your contact info and what you type in the current chat. Be careful what you share, and consider whether a paid tier is worth it for you.
Not confirmed yet: OpenAI's financial position and spending figures were described as reported, not confirmed. It is unclear whether OpenAI hashes or scrambles uploaded contact data.

The Loop