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OpenAI said on Friday it will begin rolling out ads on ChatGPT to some US users, as the company aims to generate more revenue ahead of its highly anticipated public offering.
The company said it plans to begin testing ads in the coming weeks in the US for users on its free and low-cost Go tiers, while its Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise subscriptions will not include ads.
“We plan to test ads below responses on ChatGPT if there is a suitable sponsored product or service based on your current conversation,” OpenAI said in a statement.
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The ChatGPT logo appears on a smartphone screen in this stock photo in Reno, United States, on Jan. 3, 2025. (Jaque Silva/NurPhoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The company said the ads will be “clearly labeled” and separated from ChatGPT responses, adding that users will be able to learn why they’re seeing certain ads and dismiss them.
Ads will not be shown on accounts where the user is under 18 years of age, and cannot appear near sensitive or controlled topics such as health, mental health or politics, the company said.
OpenAI said its ads will not influence the responses ChatGPT provides to users, and conversations will be kept private from advertisers.
“We never sell your data to advertisers,” the company said, adding that users can turn off its personalization feature. “We will always offer a way to avoid ads on ChatGPT, including a paid category that is ad-free.”
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OpenAI said on Friday it would begin removing ads from ChatGPT to some US users. (Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)
OpenAI relies heavily on subscriptions for revenue but can generate ad revenue from ChatGPT’s estimated 800 million weekly active users. The company plans to spend more than $1 trillion on intelligence infrastructure by 2030 but has yet to say how it will pay for the costs, according to Reuters.
Users may choose to switch to competitor chatbots, Emarketer analyst Jeremy Goldman told Reuters, adding that the OpenAI move could encourage competitors to “clarify their monetization philosophies, especially those that position themselves as ‘ad-free by design.'”
OpenAI said in a statement that it would learn from the feedback and refine its ads over time, assuring its “commitment to putting users first and maintaining trust will not change.”
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OpenAI has announced plans to remove ads from ChatGPT for free and low-level users. (LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
“For a long time we have focused on creating products that millions of people and businesses find valuable enough to pay for,” said the company. “Our businesses and subscription businesses are already strong, and we believe in having a diversified revenue model where ads can play a role in making creativity accessible to everyone.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
