The AI Edge Podcast Ep 14. Are ChatGPT Ads Making AI Worse? The Engagement Problem, with Ken Rona, JWX
Feb 23, 2026
Ken Rona, Chief AI Officer at JWX, brings video-tech and AI product experience. He warns that ad-driven chat could prioritize engagement over truth. They debate whether AI wearables will help or just monetize attention. Ken also recounts rapid agent builds, programmatic bidding in hours, and how AI traffic is reshaping conversions for publishers and marketers.
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Eye Tracking Could Replace Notional Attention Metrics
- Eye tracking in AR glasses is the gold standard for attention measurement and could upend existing measurement providers.
- Ken notes glasses that track gaze would replace notional attention with exact view duration and targets.
Search Ads Feel Wrong Inside Conversational AI
- ChatGPT ads as currently implemented mirror search ads but clash with conversational expectations.
- Miles Young argues a blue link ad read inside a chat is mismatched to users seeking conversational assistance and won't convert effectively.
Ads For Engagement Can Make AI Worse
- Monetization by engagement creates perverse incentives: AI may optimize for longer chats instead of correct answers.
- Ken warns ads paid by engagement could make models intentionally produce lower-quality or provocative outputs to increase ad impressions.