ChatGPT will now show ads for some queries

Some might call it inevitable, but OpenAI has just announced it’s going to start testing advertisements inside ChatGPT. The US is the selected market for now and testing is set to expand over the coming weeks.

The ads will show up for users on the free tier and those subscribed to ChatGPT Go. That said, if you’re paying for Plus, Pro, Business, or Enterprise subscriptions, you won’t see any of these.

Will pop up separate from queries

OpenAI says the advertisements will appear either above or below ChatGPT’s responses, not mixed into the actual answers themselves. So if you ask about vacation spots, you might see a travel ad pop up in a tinted banner nearby.

The company is also promising that ads won’t influence what ChatGPT tells you and that your conversation data won’t be handed over to marketers. Users under 18 won’t see ads at all, and sensitive topics like health, mental health, and politics will be off-limits for advertisers.

As for the rationale behind the move, well, running an AI company isn’t cheap. According to the Financial Times, OpenAI reportedly lost around $8 billion in just the first half of 2025. And despite having roughly 800 million weekly active users, only about 5% of those actually pay for a subscription.

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The company has also committed to spending over $1 trillion on AI infrastructure by 2030, so finding new revenue streams makes sense.