OpenAI to Test ChatGPT Ads in Free and Go Plans

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Updated Date: January 19, 2026
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ChatGPT Ads

OpenAI will begin testing ChatGPT ads. The trial starts in the United States in the coming weeks and targets users on the free tier and the ChatGPT Go plan.

The ads will not affect how ChatGPT generates responses. They will be clearly labeled and displayed separately from the chatbot’s answers, typically at the bottom of a reply when a relevant sponsored product or service is available. User conversations will not be shared with advertisers.

Ads Trial Details

The initial tests will apply to logged-in adult users in the U.S. using:

  • The free version of ChatGPT
  • ChatGPT Go, priced at $8 per month

Users under 18 will not see ads. Ads will also be blocked from content on sensitive topics such as health, mental health, and politics.

Paid plans – Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise – will remain ad-free during the trial.

Purpose of Ads

OpenAI says the ads will help cover the growing cost of operating large AI systems while keeping free and lower-cost access available. Most ChatGPT users access the platform for free, and subscription revenue alone does not cover operational and development costs.

Advertising is intended to subsidize access without requiring all users to pay for premium plans. Users can control how their data is used for ad personalization and can clear this data at any time.

How Ads Will Appear 

Ads appear only when they match the user’s query. For example, asking for product recommendations may show a sponsored link below the response.

Ads will be clearly labeled, visually separated from the AI’s answers, dismissible, and users can provide feedback on them. OpenAI says this approach ensures responses remain accurate and unbiased.

Industry Context

Inclusion of ads is a new shift in the monetization of AI platforms. Whereas search engines and social platforms have used advertising, AI services such as ChatGPT have used subscriptions mainly. Advertisements will add extra income without raising expenses of paying subscribers.

The reactions of users will likely be different, and the management of the ad visibility and an experience used by OpenAI may have an impact on the wider adoption in the AI industry.

Unclear Details

OpenAI has not declared the exact date when ads are going to be posted. Details on ad selection algorithms and potential interactive ad formats have not been shared. Early feedback from the U.S. test will inform wider implementation.

The advertisements are a test, and not a complete launch, and OpenAI focuses on the preservation of the original ChatGPT experience.