Feb 12, 2026 11:26:00OpenAI researcher resigns over ChatGPT ads, warning against following Facebook's pathZoe Hitzig, a former researcher at OpenAI who spent two years building AI models, pricing, and safety, warned in a New York Times op-ed that she resigned on the same day OpenAI began testing ads within ChatGPT, citing the risk of repeating Facebook's mistakes by undermining user trust. Putting Ads on ChatGPT Was the Last Straw. In contrast, rival Anthropic maintains a policy of not including ads in Claude, airing a Super Bowl ad stating, 'Ads are coming to AI, but not to Claude. 'On February 9, 2026, the day OpenAI began testing ads on ChatGPT, Hitzig revealed that he had left OpenAI. Furthermore, Hitzig pointed out that OpenAI is already optimizing for the number of daily active users, potentially encouraging the model to be more 'flattering' to users.

Source: New York Times February 12, 2026 03:33 UTC