OpenAI Confirms Ads Are Coming To ChatGPT, Testing To Begin Soon

OpenAI has confirmed that advertisements will soon make their way to ChatGPT. The company has announced plans to begin testing ads on the platform in the coming weeks, marking a noticeable change in how the chatbot is monetised. The initial testing phase will be limited to users in the US, with a wider rollout expected later if the experiment goes as planned. Also Read: 7 ChatGPT Tricks That Save Time Every Day

Ads Coming to Free and Go Tiers

In a post shared on OpenAI’s official account on X, the company said ads will be tested on the free and Go tiers of ChatGPT. Paid plans such as Plus, Pro, Enterprise, and Business will remain ad-free, at least for now. Also Read: Wikipedia Signs AI Access Deals With Microsoft, Meta, Perplexity: Here's Why

OpenAI has made it clear that ads will not affect how ChatGPT responds to user queries. According to the company, chatbot responses will stay independent and will not be shaped or influenced by advertising partners. Ads will also appear separately from responses and will be clearly labelled so users can easily distinguish them from regular content.

How User Data Will Be Handled

OpenAI says user conversations will not be shared with advertisers. Instead, ads may rely on limited non-conversational data to personalise what users see. Importantly, the company claims users will have control over this process. There will be options to turn off personalised ads and clear any data used for ad targeting.

OpenAI has also said it does not plan to change how ChatGPT works just to keep users on the app longer for ads. The company says responses will remain focused on answering questions, not on driving engagement in the way social media platforms do.

What Ads in ChatGPT May Look Like

According to OpenAI, ads inside ChatGPT are expected to be informative and blend naturally into the experience. Small businesses may also get the option to create interactive, AI-based experiences after a user clicks on an ad. This could let users explore a product or service within ChatGPT itself, instead of being pushed to an external website.

Since ads are still in the testing phase, OpenAI has said a lot could change before a wider rollout. This includes how ads are shown, how often they appear, and which user tiers eventually see them.

Bigger Picture for OpenAI

The move comes shortly after reports that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman asked teams to shift focus toward ChatGPT and pause work on other projects. Testing ads could be one way for the company to support the platform as usage continues to grow.