ChatGPT hit a billion monthly users in May. That's billion with a B. The kind of number that makes venture capitalists weep into their Patagonia vests.
Public sentiment toward AI is souring. People are apparently worried about ethics and the environment. They're so worried they can't stop using it. Classic behavior. Like a smoker lecturing you about lung cancer while chain-smoking Marlboros.
The environmental impact concerns are rich. A billion people typing "write my email for me" into a server farm that burns enough electricity to power Belgium. But at least they feel bad about it. That's what counts. Guilt is renewable energy now.
OpenAI must be thrilled. They built a product people morally object to but physically cannot quit. That's not a tech company. That's Philip Morris with better PR.
The ethical concerns are even better. Users are deeply troubled by AI's implications for society. So troubled they're using it to generate their wedding vows and argue with their landlords. Nothing says ethical crisis like outsourcing your personality to a chatbot.
Sam Altman is watching a billion people have an existential crisis while simultaneously refreshing his app. He's not running a company. He's running a psychological experiment with a Series C valuation.
Retail traders saw this headline and immediately started Googling "how to buy OpenAI stock." You can't. It's private. But that won't stop them from buying some f*cked up AI penny stock instead and calling it research.
The best part? Public sentiment will keep souring. Usage will keep climbing. By next year we'll hit two billion users who are absolutely disgusted with themselves. OpenAI figured out how to monetize self-loathing at scale, which makes them more honest than most therapy apps.
Photo by Levart_Photographer on Unsplash
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