The End of AI's Romantic Era: Mass Departures and Ads in ChatGPT

The End of AI's Romantic Era: Mass Departures and Ads in ChatGPT

February 2026 will undoubtedly go down as a turning point that ended the "romantic" phase of artificial intelligence. The period when leading companies cast themselves as saviors of humanity and explorers on the road to superintelligence is over. In its place has come an era of hard commercialization, corporate dominance and aggressive monetization, accompanied by alarming signals from the very people who built the cutting-edge technology.

The context became clear through a series of simultaneous events in February. The market's biggest players, OpenAI, Anthropic and xAI, faced an unprecedented exodus of leading specialists. These departures are unusual: the people leaving are not simply looking for new career opportunities, but are publicly voicing concerns about safety and the ethical principles that, in their view, the companies are sacrificing to reach commercial goals. This is not just a job change "for new challenges"; it is a direct warning from people who stood at the origin of these ambitious projects.

A closer look reveals a two-sided crisis. On one side, we are watching an "exodus" of key figures whose names were associated with breakthroughs in generative AI. These people, who previously advocated responsible development and long-term thinking, now say they worry that corporate interests are being put above safety and ethics.

Their public statements, though guarded, carry an undertone of disappointment and warning. On the other side, OpenAI, one of the industry's pioneers, is taking a decisive step toward building an advertising model into its flagship product, ChatGPT. This finally erases the line between "AI as a tool" and "AI as a classic Big Tech product" that has to make money through ads, targeting and the collection of user data.

The original concept of a clean tool available to everyone is turning into a platform where users become the product for advertisers.

The consequences of these changes are many and significant. First, mass departures and public warnings undermine trust in the AI industry as a whole. Investors, regulators and the wider public are starting to ask how safe and ethical further development of the technology is if its own creators voice doubts. Second, ads in ChatGPT mean the end of the "AI First" era in its original, idealistic sense. A service meant to expand human capabilities risks becoming yet another venue for intrusive advertising, which may push away a significant part of an audience that values the tool's cleanliness and efficiency. It also calls into question OpenAI's long-term strategy, which appears to be choosing short-term profitability, much like other tech giants.

In conclusion, February 2026 became a symbol of the farewell to romantic idealism in artificial intelligence. An industry that started with ambitious goals of saving humanity and exploring the limits of the mind is now moving steadily toward aggressive monetization and corporate dominance. The departure of key specialists and the arrival of ads in ChatGPT are not just isolated events but markers of a deep shift in priorities. "Safety First" has given way to "Profit First," and this change will likely shape the development of AI for years to come, altering our idea of what real progress should look like.