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Our approach to age prediction

openai.com

121–130 of 235 posts

Re: Our approach to age prediction

#121
post #16

They're trying to make ChatGPT more attractive to advertisers.

I hope Anthropic or someone pulls an Apple and has the taste to say no to ads. Maybe it will just be Apple. (Even their resistance is slowly fading..) We don't need to jam ads into every orifice. I hope there's more value to be had not doing ads than there is to include them. I'd cancel my codex/chatgpt/claude if someone planted the flag. OpenAI seems to think it has infinite trust to burn.

If you don’t want ads, pay for ChatGPT. If you aren’t making them money via ads or subscriptions, why should they care about you?

Re: Our approach to age prediction

#122

I just asked ChatGPT. "Based on everything I've asked, how old do you think I am?" It was dead-on with its answer. It guessed 30-35. I'm 32. That was just a spur-of-the-moment question. I've been using ChatGPT for over six months now.

>It was dead-on with its answer. It guessed 30-35. I'm 32.

Horoscopes must feel like literal magic to you.

Re: Our approach to age prediction

#123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think they're quite explicitly saying they already can determine your demographics from your chats. Which is almost certainly true for most users.

I don't chat - I prompt. And usually zero-shot in an incognito window. I doubt it'll determine much of anything about my demographics.

>I don't chat - I prompt. And usually zero-shot in an incognito window

Likely demographic: Male, 35-65

Potential interests: technology, privacy focused products

Ideal ad style: avoid emotional hooks, list product features in an objective-seeming manner.

Re: Our approach to age prediction

#124

For some reason ChatGPT has suddenly started thinking i'm a teen. Every answer it starts out "Since you are a teen I will..." and prompts me to upload an ID to show my age. I'm 35.

Does OpenAI have an incentive to get age prediction "wrong" so that more people "verify" their ages by uploading an ID or scanning their face, allowing "OpenAI" to collect more demographic data just in time to enable ads?

Oh yes. In fact, I read on Reddit that they have secret project to use Worldcoin.

Re: Our approach to age prediction

#125
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hey Al, they might be implying that non-minors would be impervious to the viral challenges based on some sort of well-developed critical thinking facilities. I am not so optimistic.

A lot of people are using AI as a trusted friend, because they don't really have anyone else. A good friend would, I hope, talk someone out of doing something dangerous just to get a silly viral video. With AI being trained on the internet, that's going to have a very different take on things, as the internet only cares about the spectacle, not the person performing it.

Agreed. We need to take away Internet access from psychologically susceptible people. Those with any mental illness should probably access the Internet only under supervision. They can request a URL and an online proctor can be automatically contacted who will view their screen and make sure that they are not viewing dangerous things.

It is truly not just children who need protection.

Re: Our approach to age prediction

#126
post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get why you're questioning motives, I'm sure it's convenient for them at this time. But age verification is all over the place. Entire countries (see Australia) have either passed laws, or have laws moving through legislative bodies. Many platforms have voluntarily complied. I expect by 2030, there won't be a place on Earth where not just age verification, but identity is required to access online platforms. If it…

95% of what is posted on the Internet is placed with intent to harm? What?

If you consider Advertisement and News (with understanding that it is rarely unbiased) harmful, the 95% is not that far off the truth.

Re: Our approach to age prediction

#127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hope Anthropic or someone pulls an Apple and has the taste to say no to ads. Maybe it will just be Apple. (Even their resistance is slowly fading..) We don't need to jam ads into every orifice. I hope there's more value to be had not doing ads than there is to include them. I'd cancel my codex/chatgpt/claude if someone planted the flag. OpenAI seems to think it has infinite trust to burn.

If you don’t want ads, pay for ChatGPT. If you aren’t making them money via ads or subscriptions, why should they care about you?

People who haven't seen an ad or paid a subscription in 20 years are still trying to figure out why no one listens to their opinion on how to make the internet better.

I wouldn't hold my breath...

Re: Our approach to age prediction

#128

For some reason ChatGPT has suddenly started thinking i'm a teen. Every answer it starts out "Since you are a teen I will..." and prompts me to upload an ID to show my age. I'm 35.

OpenAI demanded I prove my age in November 2025. I’m an educated 50 year old and had been paying for the service for over a year. When they insisted I prove my age I went through two layers of support but got nowhere. They insisted I go through their verification process. I refused and cancelled my subscription. This may be a losing battle but I’m not going to upload a photo to these services.

Re: Our approach to age prediction

#129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hope Anthropic or someone pulls an Apple and has the taste to say no to ads. Maybe it will just be Apple. (Even their resistance is slowly fading..) We don't need to jam ads into every orifice. I hope there's more value to be had not doing ads than there is to include them. I'd cancel my codex/chatgpt/claude if someone planted the flag. OpenAI seems to think it has infinite trust to burn.

If you don’t want ads, pay for ChatGPT. If you aren’t making them money via ads or subscriptions, why should they care about you?

I think they really should charge with micropayments, and they could even roll out their own currency for that if need be. Ads suck.

Actually, all the AI companies together should choose a micropayment system to focus on. I know in fashion, I've seen what would seem like competing brands center around a common "pillar of influence."

Also, if (long-tail?) AI companies work together, they could install appliances and terminals around cities. The most immediate use case - transport timetables. It seems like a no-brainer the more I think about it. Especially good for tourists who don't speak the local language. Governments may end up wanting to do that anyway and could subsidize the cost. It really depends on how fixated people are to owning their own screen, versus using someone else's. Those city screens could end up billboards anyway - especially for local businesses. They could print for a fee too and third parties could pay to get their app listed. Also, it's worth considering the increase in wealth inequality and rising hardware costs for people to own and stream into their own device. So this could be like the Internet Cafe 2.0.

Incidentally, there's a recent thread about someone streaming HN to a cheap display: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46699782 - why not have such displays around town? I guess one major problem is vandalism.

Re: Our approach to age prediction

#130
post #16

They're trying to make ChatGPT more attractive to advertisers.

Whenever anything involving advertisers and AI comes up I wonder, are we supposed to believe both that they are on the cusp of creating God and that advertising revenue is a meaningful second goal?
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