OpenAI has begun testing advertising inside ChatGPT for the first time, introducing ads for logged-in adult users on the Free and Go subscription tiers in the United States. The company says ads do not influence the answers ChatGPT provides, and that user conversations with ChatGPT remain private from advertisers as part of the test.

Paid tiers — Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education — will not include ads. OpenAI says this limited test is intended to gather feedback, validate safeguards, and ensure ads fit naturally into the ChatGPT experience before any broader rollout.

OpenAI says ads are clearly labeled as sponsored and visually separated from ChatGPT’s organic responses. Answers continue to be generated solely based on what is most helpful to the user, not advertiser influence.

During the test, ads are selected by matching advertiser submissions with conversational context and prior ad interactions. For example:

OpenAI says this approach is designed to make ads visible and relevant without blending them into ChatGPT’s answers or altering how responses are generated.

OpenAI states that privacy protections remain central to how advertising is designed and scaled within ChatGPT and are intended to respect users’ privacy.

Key safeguards include:

The company also says it will be selective about advertiser participation and is building protections to reduce the risk of scams or misleading ads as the program evolves.

Users on ad-eligible tiers can manage how ads appear in their experience, including:

For users who prefer not to see ads, OpenAI says they can upgrade to a paid plan or opt out of ads on the Free tier in exchange for fewer daily messages.

OpenAI says the advertising test builds on principles it previously shared to guide how ads should work inside ChatGPT. According to the company, the goal of the test is to put those principles into practice and learn from real-world use before expanding further.

OpenAI says the test is aligned with its broader mission to keep ChatGPT widely accessible. The company notes that ChatGPT is used by hundreds of millions of people for learning, work, and everyday decisions, and that keeping the Free and Go tiers fast and reliable requires significant infrastructure investment. According to OpenAI, advertising helps fund that work while supporting higher-quality free and low-cost access. Users who prefer not to see ads can upgrade to paid plans or opt out of ads on the Free tier in exchange for fewer daily messages.

The company also argues that conversational advertising can be more contextually useful, helping users discover relevant products or services while they are actively exploring options or making decisions — without blending ads into answers themselves.

OpenAI says the current phase of the ad test is focused on learning. The company notes that it is closely monitoring user feedback to understand whether ads feel useful and fit naturally within the ChatGPT experience before deciding whether to expand the program.

For businesses, OpenAI says it is still early in exploring how different organizations might participate in the ChatGPT experience in ways that are designed to complement — rather than disrupt — how people use the product. Over time, the company expects to expand its advertising program to test additional ad formats, objectives, and buying models, along with new ways for businesses to interact with users inside ChatGPT.

Businesses interested in future participation can sign up for updates at openai.com/advertisers.

While OpenAI is beginning to test advertising in ChatGPT, rival AI company Anthropic has taken a different approach. Anthropic has publicly stated that its AI assistant Claude will remain ad-free, arguing that AI conversations should serve as a “place to think” rather than a venue for advertising. (Read more: why Anthropic rejects ads in AI conversations.)

Anthropic has said that while advertising has many appropriate contexts, AI conversations — particularly those involving extended reasoning, problem-solving, or sensitive topics — are not one of them. The company positions Claude as a space designed for focus and trust, without commercial interruption inside the conversation itself.

Anthropic reinforced this message through a high-profile public campaign, including Super Bowl commercials, highlighting its decision to keep Claude free from in-conversation advertising.

This stance contrasts with OpenAI’s test, where ads may appear alongside ChatGPT responses but are not intended to influence answers or provide advertisers access to private chat content.

Q: Does advertising affect how ChatGPT answers questions?
A: No. OpenAI states that ChatGPT’s answers remain independent of advertising. Responses are generated based on what is most helpful to the user, not influenced by sponsored content. Ads are always labeled and visually separated from organic answers.

Q: Who will see ads in ChatGPT during this test?
A: Ads are shown only to logged-in adult users on the Free and Go subscription tiers in the United States. Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education plans remain ad-free.

Q: How does OpenAI decide which ads to show?
A: During the test, ads are selected by matching advertiser submissions with the general topic of a conversation and prior ad interactions. OpenAI says advertisers do not see chat content and only receive aggregated performance metrics.

Q: Can users opt out of advertising in ChatGPT?
A: Yes. Users can upgrade to a paid plan to avoid ads entirely or opt out of ads on the Free tier in exchange for fewer daily messages. Users can also manage personalization, dismiss ads, and delete ad data at any time.

As ChatGPT becomes a daily tool for learning, work, and decision-making at global scale, the challenge is no longer whether people will use AI — it’s how AI platforms sustainably fund the infrastructure required to keep those systems reliable, accessible, and improving. OpenAI’s advertising test reflects an attempt to support free access while explicitly separating monetization from how answers are generated.

Who should care:
This matters for users who rely on ChatGPT’s Free or Go tiers, as well as educators and professionals evaluating AI tools for everyday use. It is also relevant for organizations watching how consumer AI platforms balance monetization, credibility, user trust, and long-term accessibility.

Why it matters now:
As AI capabilities expand, the computational resources required to operate these systems continue to increase. With more people depending on ChatGPT for important and personal tasks, choices about funding models directly affect who has access, how reliably the system performs, and whether free or low-cost options remain sustainable — particularly for users who cannot or choose not to pay.

What decision this affects:
This development shapes whether users are willing to accept limited advertising as part of a free AI experience, opt into reduced usage without ads, or move to paid tiers.

How OpenAI manages this balance will shape not only ChatGPT’s future, but how users judge the credibility of AI systems that increasingly sit at the center of everyday digital life.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.