Observed Signal · Jan 23, 2026 · Industry Roundup · Source: Last Week in AI · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
ChatGPT Ads, Zhipu‑Huawei, Thinking Machines Drama
Episode 232 of the Last Week in AI podcast (recorded 2026-01-23, hosted by Andrey Kurenkov and Jeremie Harris) summarizes multiple industry developments. OpenAI plans to test ads inside ChatGPT and is launching child age-prediction features to enhance safety. The episode covers personnel turbulence at startup Thinking Machines with high-profile departures back to OpenAI, advances in China’s AI stack (including Jpu training models on domestic hardware and Baidu reporting 200 million monthly active users for its AI assistant), and large commercial moves such as xAI’s gigawatt supercluster and Sequoia’s investment activity. It also reviews policy and safety updates: the US Senate’s Defiance Act addressing explicit AI-generated images and Anthropic publishing an updated constitution for Claude. The episode functions as a weekly industry roundup of product, policy, research and personnel signals.
Aggregates multiple notable AI industry developments affecting monetization, competition, infrastructure and legal/regulatory dynamics (OpenAI ads testing, Sequoia–Anthropic investment, Zhipu's chip strategy), which are relevant to AdTech/MarTech but are not a single platform-level policy or blockbuster technical change.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- OpenAI announced plans to test ads inside ChatGPT.
- OpenAI launched an age-prediction feature for ChatGPT accounts to improve safety.
- Startup Thinking Machines experienced high-profile departures, including employees returning to OpenAI.
- China’s AI firms advanced domestic capabilities (Jpu trained advanced models on domestic hardware) and Baidu reported 200 million monthly active users for its AI assistant.
- US Senate advanced the Defiance Act addressing explicit AI-generated images and Anthropic published an updated constitution for Claude.
Connected Companies & Entities
5 Entities mappedRelated Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
NSA warns about Chinese AI distillation; Amazon ads in ChatGPT
The NSA, CISA, and FBI named six Chinese AI firms (DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, Alibaba, MiniMax, StepFun, Z.AI) for industrial-scale distillation of models like Claude and GPT, advising labs to degrade responses or route suspects to weaker models. Meanwhile, Amazon began piloting ads in ChatGPT through its DSP, with OpenAI controlling delivery, as ChatGPT ads reach $1 billion annualized. Additionally, NASA and IBM released the Lunar Foundation Model, Oracle reported strong cloud revenue but negative free cash flow, and daily updates cover BIS warnings, Salesforce's AI harness, California's child safety laws, Microsoft's data center plans, and AI payment standards.
AI Revolutionizes AdTech: New Strategies and Challenges Emerge
ExchangeWire reports multiple industry developments: OpenAI has begun testing ads in ChatGPT for free US users with clearly labelled placements while paid tiers remain ad-free. TikTok is using Pixels to track performance beyond its platform. Amazon launched a Prebid Adapter Beta to connect ad demand. The BBC announced a strategic partnership to expand bespoke content on YouTube alongside continued distribution on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds. E‑commerce dynamics shifted as data from the International Post Corporation showed Temu’s cross‑border market share climbed from under 1% in 2022 to 24% last year, matching Amazon; ByteDance is also expanding its Volcano Engine cloud business. The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising launched the IPAi Forum to help agencies adopt generative AI responsibly and practically.
Altman: China's Tech Race in AI is 'Remarkable'
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told CNBC that Chinese technology firms have made "remarkable" progress across multiple areas and are racing with the U.S. to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI). He noted China is scaling domestic chipmaking and that some Chinese companies sit near the technological frontier. Altman also outlined OpenAI’s push to build revenue, saying the company has attracted roughly $70 billion of investment (per Dealroom) and is seeking to complete a $100 billion fundraising round, according to sources. OpenAI is exploring adverts inside ChatGPT, favoring discovery-style, Instagram-like formats; tests will begin in the U.S. before broader rollouts. Altman emphasized OpenAI’s current priority on rapid growth, with profitability to follow when unit economics permit.
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