OpenAI To Begin Testing Ads On ChatGPT, Paid Tiers To Stay Ad-Free

OpenAI on Friday announced plans to begin testing advertisements on ChatGPT in the United States in the coming weeks, as it expands access to its AI tools through a low-cost subscription model and seeks to reduce usage limits for free users.

The company said it is bringing ChatGPT Go, priced at $8 a month, to the US and to all markets where ChatGPT is available, after launching the tier in 171 countries since August. The plan offers expanded access to messaging, image creation, file uploads and memory. “We’ve been working to make powerful AI accessible to everyone,” OpenAI said in a release on its site, adding that access to advanced AI would shape whether it “expands opportunity or reinforces the same divides”.

OpenAI said advertisements will

initially be tested for logged-in adult users on the free and Go tiers in the US. Pro, Business and Enterprise subscriptions will remain ad-free. The company said ads would be introduced so “more people can benefit from our tools with fewer usage limits or without having to pay”.

Addressing concerns around influence and trust, OpenAI said advertising would not affect how ChatGPT responds to users. “Ads do not influence the answers ChatGPT gives you,” the company said, adding that responses would continue to be driven by “what’s objectively useful, never by advertising”.

The company also stressed that user conversations and data would not be shared with advertisers. “We keep your conversations with ChatGPT private from advertisers, and we never sell your data to advertisers,” OpenAI said, adding that users would have control over ad personalisation and the ability to turn it off or clear associated data.

Under the initial plan, ads will appear at the bottom of responses when there is a relevant sponsored product or service linked to the ongoing conversation. OpenAI said the ads would be “clearly labeled and separated from the organic answer”, and users would be able to dismiss ads or see why a particular ad is being shown.

OpenAI said ads would not be shown to users under 18, and would not appear alongside sensitive or regulated topics such as health, mental health or politics. “We do not optimize for time spent in ChatGPT,” the company said, adding that it prioritises “user trust and user experience over revenue”.

The company said it would refine how ads are displayed based on feedback, while maintaining what it described as a “high bar” for relevance and quality. It added that advertising would form part of a broader revenue mix, alongside subscriptions and enterprise offerings, aimed at making AI tools accessible to more people over time.