OpenAI to Test Ads in Free and Low-Cost ChatGPT Tiers
The AI chatbot will soon display sponsored content for users on its free and ChatGPT Go plans, starting with a trial in the United States.
OpenAI announced it will begin showing advertisements in its popular ChatGPT service, a move that will affect users of its free plan and the recently launched ChatGPT Go subscription.
The company confirmed in a statement on its website that the test will roll out in the United States over the coming weeks. Higher-tier subscriptions, including ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise, will remain ad-free.
According to OpenAI, the ads will not influence the chatbot’s responses and will be clearly identified as sponsored content, appearing separately from the AI-generated answers. The company aims to make the ads as useful as possible, optimizing them based on the context of the user’s conversation.
The new interface is designed to go “beyond static messages and links,” allowing users to see an ad and ask the chatbot questions about it directly, the company explained.
OpenAI stressed that user conversations will remain private and that it will not sell user data to advertisers. Users will have the ability to disable ad personalization and delete the data used for targeting at any time. “You will be able to get more information about why you see an ad or dismiss it and tell us why you did it,” the company stated.
The initial trial will be limited to logged-in users over the age of 18 in the U.S. OpenAI said it will not show ads in accounts where a user opts out or is believed to be a minor. The company will also avoid advertising related to sensitive or regulated topics, such as health and politics.
“We will test ads at the end of the responses in ChatGPT, when there is a relevant sponsored product or service based on the conversation,” OpenAI indicated.
This strategic shift follows the November launch of ChatGPT Go, a more affordable subscription plan priced at €9.99 per month. While the Go plan offers expanded access to features like the GPT-5 model, image generation, and advanced data analysis, the subscription fee will not be enough to shield users from the new advertising model.
