OpenAI Confirms to Test Ads in U.S. on ChatGPT Free and Go Plans

Reports from last year hinted that OpenAI was planning to show ads in ChatGPT. Turns out, those reports were accurate. In an announcement from earlier today, the company has confirmed that OpenAI will start testing ads in the U.S. for both Free and Go tiers. Pro, Business, and Enterprise subscriptions remain ad-free.

Speaking of which, OpenAI says trust is central to this approach. The company assures that ads will never influence ChatGPT’s responses, conversations will remain private, and user data will never be sold to advertisers. Users can turn off ad personalization or clear ad data at any time, and paid tiers will remain completely ad-free.

In the initial testing phase, ads will appear below, labeled and separated from the response. Ads will not appear for users under 18 or near sensitive topics like health, politics, or mental health. OpenAI envisions interactive ads where users can ask questions directly to make purchase decisions. Examples given by the company include sponsored product recommendations for recipes, travel, or other services.

The company believes ads could help small businesses and emerging brands to reach users in a high-quality, discoverable way. As always, OpenAI is looking for user feedback.

Besides ads, OpenAI is also making moves to bring more people into the ChatGPT ecosystem. As you may know, the company recently announced that its low-cost subscription, ChatGPT Go, in India and Indonesia. Well, it’s coming to the U.S. and all regions where ChatGPT is available. For $8 per month, Go users will get messaging, image creation, file uploads, and memory. Free-tier users will also see expanded access soon.