You May Soon Start Seeing Ads in ChatGPT

The one thing the internet has taught us over the years is that nothing stays ad-free forever. And it looks like ChatGPT is next in line. The new codes discovered inside the latest ChatGPT Android beta hints that ads are coming to the platform.

The report comes from Tibor Blaho on X, who dug through ChatGPT Android beta app version 1.2025.329 and found new code strings referencing “ads feature,” “search ad,” “search ads carousel,” and something intriguingly labeled “bazaar content.” Apparently, these references weren’t present in previous builds, which makes us believe that OpenAI is actively preparing an ads system inside ChatGPT.

OpenAI has mentioned in the past that ads might eventually be tested “carefully,” but there’s been no timeline yet in sight. Now, the internal code suggests that the company is laying the groundwork. And, it is likely starting with commercial queries around search, shopping and recommendations rather than cluttering every conversation.

If “bazaar content” is anything to go by, ChatGPT may soon show marketplace-style product cards, similar to what you see in ChatGPT shopping experience. Google has already confirmed ads inside AI Mode, infact, it’s aready testing with public now. Well, OpenAI is simply catching up to a trend that was inevitable the moment AI became a search-replacement.

It appears that ads will appear only for free-tier users, which gently pushes people toward paid plans. With ChatGPT’s compute expenses continuing to climb, an ad-supported free tier would give OpenAI more room to expand usage limits without burning money.

OpenAI hasn’t said a word on when ads are dropping in ChatGPT, and it seems ad-free era is almost certainly coming to an end soon.

What do you think about ads in ChatGPT? Do let us know in the comments below.