OpenAI Begins Testing Ads in ChatGPT as it Explores New Revenue Stream

OpenAI has started rolling out advertising in ChatGPT, marking a significant shift for the AI chatbot as the company looks for new ways to fund its rapidly growing infrastructure costs.

The ads are being introduced gradually and will initially appear for certain users in the US, signaling a cautious move into a business model long dominated by subscriptions.

The early tests will primarily target logged-in users on free tiers, with ads appearing below chatbot responses and clearly labeled as sponsored content. Paid plans, including Plus and enterprise offerings, are expected to remain ad-free for now. The company has said the ads will be kept separate from ChatGPT’s responses and will not influence the answers generated by the AI.

OpenAI is positioning the move as a way to support broader access to the chatbot while continuing to invest in its development. ChatGPT is used by hundreds of millions of people globally, and the high cost of computing power and AI model training has increased pressure on the company to diversify revenue. Advertising could help offset those costs as OpenAI competes with other major AI developers.

The rollout is expected to be phased, with limited advertisers participating in the initial test. OpenAI has emphasized that user privacy will remain central, saying conversations will not be shared with advertisers and ads will avoid sensitive topics.

The company is likely to expand the program based on feedback and performance over time.