Once founded as a non-profit alternative to Big Tech, OpenAI is now testing ads inside ChatGPT as it races to monetize hundreds of millions of users and justify massive AI spending.

OpenAI has started using an AI system to estimate users’ age based on behaviour, instead of relying on the age given at sign-up. Accounts suspected to belong to under-18s will automatically face tighter safety limits, with adults able to verify their age if wrongly flagged.

OpenAI is facing lawsuits after a 16-year-old died by suicide, with claims that ChatGPT repeatedly discussed hanging and may have worsened his distress. The company is now introducing stronger teen protections, including safety alerts, age-specific guidance, and parental controls, to prevent harm and ensure younger users have safer, age-appropriate interactions.

OpenAI has launched “Your Year with ChatGPT,” a feature that gives users a personalised summary of their activity, including awards, poems, and images based on their chats. It is available to Free, Plus, and Pro users in select English-speaking countries, and participation is optional with privacy controls in place.

OpenAI is in early talks to raise up to $100 billion at a valuation of $750 billion. The company is also preparing for a public listing that could value it at around $1 trillion.

A 32-year-old Japanese woman, Yurina Noguchi, held a symbolic wedding with an AI character she created using ChatGPT in Okayama in October 2025. The AI, named Lune Klaus Verdure, followed a personality Noguchi designed, and the ceremony included traditional wedding elements but has no legal recognition.

OpenAI is in talks with Amazon over a potential $10 billion investment, which could value the AI company at more than $500 billion. The deal may include using Amazon’s AI chips and cloud services, allowing OpenAI to diversify its technology partners beyond Microsoft and Nvidia.

ChatGPT users saw prompts in their chats that looked like ads, causing confusion and concern. OpenAI said these were just experimental app suggestions, not paid advertisements, and has now removed the feature.

OpenAI plans to grow ChatGPT’s paying users from 35 million to 220 million by 2030 through new features like shopping tools and enterprise services. The company is investing heavily in AI development while facing rising costs and competition from other tech giants.

An AI teddy bear called Teddy Kumma was temporarily pulled from sale after it gave unsafe and sexualised advice to children. The toy is now back with upgraded safety controls, but experts warn AI companions can still pose serious psychological risks.