Good morning! The weekend edition is 708 words, a 3-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Canada and China cozy up in trade

• Double leg amputee first to summit 7 continental peaks

• Largest sock collection

First-time reader? Sign up here!

Today’s Big Story

ChatGPT Ads

• OpenAI announced Friday it will begin testing advertisements in ChatGPT, the AI chatbot used by 800 million people weekly. Ads will appear in clearly labeled boxes below responses starting in the coming weeks, initially in the United States. Users on the free tier and the new $8-per-month Go tier—which offers more messages and image generation—will see ads. Paid subscribers on Plus, Pro, and Enterprise plans remain ad-free.

• OpenAI pledged that ads will not influence ChatGPT's responses or degrade user experience. The company will match ads to conversation topics, such as showing hotel ads after trip-planning questions, but won't sell user data to advertisers or show ads on sensitive subjects like health and politics. Users can disable ad personalization at any time, and no ads will appear for anyone under 18.

• This is OpenAI's first major effort to monetize ChatGPT's massive free user base. The company is valued between $500 billion and $750 billion, but it needs sustainable revenue as competition intensifies. Still, OpenAI CEO Fidji Simo says the company prioritizes user experience over revenue and does not optimize for time spent in ChatGPT like social media platforms.

Saturday’s Quick Hits

• Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado gave her Nobel Peace Prize to President Trump despite him backing her rival, acting President Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro's former deputy. The Nobel Institute says prizes cannot be transferred, but recipients can do what they want with the medal. Machado called it recognition for Trump's commitment to Venezuelan freedom. Trump confirmed he's keeping the medal. (More)

• Canada and China agreed to cut tariffs during Prime Minister Mark Carney's first Beijing visit since 2017. Canada will reduce its 100% tariff on Chinese electric cars in exchange for lower agricultural tariffs. The shift follows Trump’s 25% tariffs on Canadian goods. About 75% of Canadian exports currently go to the US versus 4% to China. (More)

• More Indonesian imports will likely test positive for radioactive cesium-137 in coming months following December's recall of 84,000 bags of tainted shrimp, according to a Homeland Security bulletin. The radioactive isotope will "very likely" spread beyond shrimp, spices, and sneakers already detected due to many factories in the affected area. Officials say it appears accidental. Customs is screening cargo, and no tainted products have entered the US marketplace. (More)

• Virginia's state Senate passed an amendment Friday letting voters decide whether lawmakers can redraw congressional districts when other states redistrict. Democrats who control the legislature want the change to counter redistricting elsewhere, while Republicans call it a bypass of the independent commission voters created in 2020. If approved in a spring election, it will be valid until 2030. (More)

• Bitter cold and snow are hitting nearly half the US ahead of the holiday weekend, with 28 million under weather alerts. Lake-effect snow dumped over 26 inches near Buffalo while dangerous conditions caused a 30-car pileup in Pennsylvania. Freeze warnings cover most Florida counties. Temperatures will run 10 to 20 degrees below average into next week, with record lows possible from Florida to the Northeast. (More)

Weekly Dose of Positive

• An Ethiopian man who received life-saving heart surgery in Atlanta as a teenager became a cardiac perfusionist and returned to Ethiopia to operate alongside the surgeon who once saved his life. (More)

• Communities are launching literacy programs to combat pandemic learning losses, from free reading clinics in Colorado to teacher fellowships in California and Ohio's 'Breakfast & Books.' (More)

• A Staten Island bodega owner rewards students with free food and cash for good grades through his viral "Grades for Grabs" program, raising over $377,000 on GoFundMe to keep it going. (More)

• British veteran Hari Budha Magar became the first above-the-knee double amputee to summit all seven continental peaks after losing both legs in Afghanistan. (More)

Extra Credit

Visualizing life expectancy of the world’s top 30 economies.

A campaign to get Americans to dress better on planes isn’t working.

Retired Philly news anchor has the largest collection of socks.

Arizona proposes a stretch of speed-limit-free highway.