Future shifts staff to sponsored posts for AI, Mumbrella says

Written as questions and answers, the pieces aim to get into search indexes and then into the replies of large language models (LLMs, the systems behind chatbots such as ChatGPT). Samsung and Motorola are among the brands that have used the format in Australia so far, Mumbrella understands. Future’s managing director pointed Mumbrella to Optic, the group’s AI visibility product, and did not answer questions about the job cuts.

Future began selling this kind of work in February, Press Gazette reported at the time. Ahrefs data put TechRadar as the publisher site ChatGPT cites most worldwide, and Future said one Samsung campaign raised the products’ visibility on ChatGPT by up to 33%. ChatGPT and other chatbots use that content to answer questions even though each piece carries a sponsored label, Press Gazette noted.

On our price sheet, ChatGPT’s Go plan card, read on 31 October, says the plan may include ads.

A brand that wants to be seen in ChatGPT can pay in two places: ads, which the Go plan card says may appear, and sponsored articles from a publisher such as Future, which chatbots draw on to write the answers themselves.