OpenAI begins testing ads in ChatGPT

Source: Mashable Tech

OpenAI Begins Testing Ads in ChatGPT

OpenAI has started rolling out ads inside ChatGPT, marking a major shift for a product that has largely operated without traditional advertising since its launch in 2022.

In a blog post published this week, the company confirmed it is testing ads for logged‑in users on its Free and Go plans in the U.S., while keeping paid tiers like Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education ad‑free. OpenAI said the move will help fund broader access to advanced AI tools without requiring every user to pay a subscription.

“Our focus with this test is learning. We’re paying close attention to feedback so we can make sure ads feel useful and fit naturally into the ChatGPT experience before expanding.” – OpenAI blog

How the Ads Appear

• Ads are displayed outside of ChatGPT’s responses and are clearly labeled as sponsored content.
• OpenAI states ads do not influence how the chatbot answers questions, and user conversations are not shared with advertisers.
• Ads are selected based on broad conversation topics and user interaction with ads, with restrictions to prevent sponsored content from appearing alongside sensitive topics such as health, mental health, or politics.

User Options

• Free tier users can opt out of ads, but doing so reduces the number of daily free messages they receive.
• Users can also opt out of ad personalization, limiting how sponsored content is selected.
• Additional controls let users stop ChatGPT from using past AI chats to tailor ads and delete “all ads history and data” collected on them.

The opt‑out options on ChatGPT found in the user settings (Credit: Mashable screengrab via OpenAI)

Industry Context

The rollout follows months of user confusion after screenshots appeared to show promotional content embedded in ChatGPT responses. OpenAI previously dismissed those incidents as poorly timed “suggestions,” but concerns persisted. Earlier this year, Mashable reported that OpenAI had been quietly experimenting with ad formats internally while signaling that monetization would eventually be necessary to support the platform’s massive infrastructure costs.

Competitors have taken note. Anthropic, a major rival, used its Super Bowl LX ad buys to mock the idea of advertising inside AI chatbots, promoting its Claude chatbot with the tagline: “Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude.”

Legal Disclosure

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.