OpenAI will begin testing ChatGPT ads in the U.S.

OpenAI will start testing ads in ChatGPT in the U.S. in the coming weeks. The ads will appear at the bottom of responses, be clearly labeled, and only show when a sponsored product or service is relevant to the conversation.

• Who will see ads: Logged-in adult users on the free tier and users on ChatGPT Go, OpenAI’s $8/month low-cost subscription.
• Who won’t see ads: Users on ChatGPT Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans. Also, users under age 18.

Why we care. Ads inside ChatGPT introduce a new, high-intent placement where users are actively asking questions and making decisions. Unlike search or social ads, these placements appear directly within relevant conversations. They deliver context-driven exposure with clear user controls. If this scales, it could become a new performance and discovery channel, especially for brands focused on intent, education, or consideration-stage marketing.

The bigger goal. Ads support a broader effort to make powerful AI accessible to more people, OpenAI said.

• Ads are meant to reduce usage limits for free users and help keep costs down.
• ChatGPT Go, which launched in 171 countries last year, is now available in the U.S. The plan offers expanded features like image generation, file uploads, and memory at a lower price.

What won’t change. Ads won’t influence ChatGPT’s answers, and user conversations will never be sold to advertisers, OpenAI said. Ads also won’t appear near sensitive or regulated topics like politics, health, or mental health.

OpenAI’s ad principles. OpenAI’s approach is guided by mission alignment, answer independence, conversation privacy, and user control, the company said. Users will be able to see why they’re shown an ad, dismiss it, turn off personalization, or clear ad-related data at any time.

Big picture. With more than $1.4 trillion in infrastructure commitments and a reported $20 billion annualized revenue run rate, OpenAI is under pressure to find scalable revenue streams. Advertising — long a cash engine for companies like Google and Meta — could help offset those costs while keeping AI broadly available.

Between the lines. CEO Sam Altman has previously warned that ads could erode trust, but OpenAI is positioning this test as cautious and user-first, stressing it won’t optimize for time spent or revenue at the expense of experience.

What’s next. Ads aren’t live yet, but testing will begin soon. OpenAI will refine how ads appear based on user feedback as it experiments with monetizing its flagship product.

OpenAI’s announcement. Our approach to advertising and expanding access to ChatGPT