I'm not aware of any FTC rule that would preempt this sort of product as long as it met the endorsement disclosure rules (16 CFR Part 255), same as paid influencers do today.
friendzis's example showed a plausible way to generate revenue by inserting paid placements into the chat bot response without disclosures by pretending they are just honest, organic suggestions.
Right. That's not a novel idea, and this is a well-trod area of concern. That's why these FTC rules have been around for many years.
edit: to be clear, I am saying that in the absence of clear disclosures, that would run afoul of current FTC rules. And historically they have been quick to react to novel ways of misleading consumers.
All these chatbots are openly making recommendations for particular products since the day one. FTC (or any other regulatory body) does not even look at that direction.
Do you have at least a rough idea how many current product recommendations are influenced grok "musk is the bestest at everything" style?
I guess we'll just put that in the "Cost of Goods Sold" bucket.