OpenAI is preparing to introduce advertising inside ChatGPT for a segment of U.S. users, a move aimed at offsetting the soaring costs of building and running advanced AI systems.
The company said Friday that the ads will initially be tested on its free version of ChatGPT as well as the lower-priced Go plan, which OpenAI is in the process of rolling out worldwide. The ads are expected to begin appearing in the coming weeks and, according to the company, will be clearly separated from ChatGPT’s AI-generated responses.
Users paying for OpenAI’s higher-end plans — Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise, will not see ads. The company also stressed that advertising will have no bearing on ChatGPT’s responses and that user conversations will not be shared with advertisers.
The shift signals a notable change for OpenAI, which until now has leaned primarily on subscription revenue. It also underscores the growing financial pressure on the company as it pours billions into data centers and gears up for a closely watched initial public offering.
Despite still operating at a loss, OpenAI has said it expects to spend more than $1 trillion on AI infrastructure by 2030. The company has not yet laid out exactly how it plans to pay for that massive buildout.
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Analysts say advertising could open up a powerful new revenue engine for ChatGPT, which now draws around 800 million weekly active users. At the same time, they warn the move carries real risks, including alienating users and eroding trust if ads feel intrusive or out of place.
“If ads come off as clumsy or opportunistic, people won’t hesitate to jump ship,” said Jeremy Goldman, an analyst at Emarketer, noting that alternatives like Google’s Gemini or Anthropic’s Claude are just a click away.
Still, Goldman said OpenAI’s decision could have ripple effects across the industry, forcing competitors to spell out their own monetization strategies — especially those that market themselves as “ad-free by design.”
OpenAI said ads will not be shown to users under the age of 18, and that advertising will be kept away from sensitive areas, including health and politics.
“We plan to test ads at the bottom of answers in ChatGPT when there’s a relevant sponsored product or service based on your current conversation,” the company said in a statement.
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Advertisers, for their part, are increasingly bullish on AI’s ability to boost results across search and social platforms, betting that more advanced recommendation systems will make ads more effective and better targeted.
OpenAI also confirmed that its ChatGPT Go plan — which was first introduced in India — will roll out in the U.S. at a price of $8 per month.