OpenAI is planning to bring advertisements in ChatGPT. This feature will be available to users on the company’s ‘Free’ and ‘Go’ tiers in the United States. This is a significant move by the company to show how they intend to monetize its growing AI services.
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Who Will See Advertisements
The feature will be available to two types of users:
- Users on ChatGPT’s ‘Free’ tier
- Users on ChatGPT’s ‘Go’ tier. This tier is priced at $8 per month in the US.
The feature is only available in the US at the moment. This is because OpenAI has called it a ‘pilot.’ This means they may extend it to other regions in the future.
Users on paid tiers will not face any advertisements. This includes ‘Plus,’ ‘Pro,’ ‘Business,’ ‘Enterprise,’ ‘Education,’ and other such tiers.
Where ads will appear
The ads will display within the ChatGPT UI when users are logged in and adults. They will display next to the text rather than within it.
The ads will be:
- Clearly identified as sponsored content
- Visually distinct from the model’s answer
- Technically distinct from how the model arrives at its answer
This distinction is significant. The company wants to ensure that users understand that the ads do not influence what the model is saying. To put it simply:
Advertisers cannot pay to influence the model’s answer.
Who powers the ads
OpenAI is working with a well-known ad-tech company called Criteo. They’ll be handling the ad marketplace and ad targeting system.
- This means:
- Advertisers can buy ad space through Criteo
- Advertisers can target their ads to specific people
- The ad campaigns should start in the $50,000 to $100,000 range
Criteo is a well-known ad-tech company. They’ll help OpenAI scale their ad efforts very quickly without having to build everything from scratch.
Privacy and targeting
OpenAI is seeking a balance between ads and trust for their users. They have made the following claims:
- Conversations are not shared with advertisers
- Ads are not based on private chat content
- Users have control over ad personalisation
This balance aims at alleviating certain data concerns. This balance also aligns with the majority of today’s platforms, which use general signals for advertising.
Why OpenAI is doing this
The main reason is cost.
Running large AI models requires heavy computing power. That means high expenses for servers, chips, and energy. As usage grows, those costs rise fast.
By adding ads, OpenAI can:
- Keep the free tier available
- Avoid strict usage limits
- Reduce pressure to push users into paid plans
In other words, ads help fund access. Without them, the company might need to add tighter caps or move more features behind a paywall.
Timing of the rollout
OpenAI began testing ads in early February 2026. As of late March, the company plans a broader rollout to Free and Go users in the U.S. in the coming weeks.
This staged rollout gives OpenAI time to:
- Test user response
- Adjust ad placement
- Monitor performance and feedback
If the pilot works, expansion to other regions is likely.
What this means for users
For free users, the experience will change, but not drastically. You will see ads, but your answers should stay the same. For paid users, nothing changes. The ad-free experience remains a key part of the value.
For OpenAI, this is a step toward a more balanced business model. Instead of relying only on subscriptions, the company is adding another revenue stream.
The bigger picture
This move reflects a wider trend in tech. Many platforms start free, then add ads once they scale. AI services are now reaching that stage.
At the same time, OpenAI must protect trust. If users feel that ads affect answers, it could damage credibility. That is why the company keeps stressing the separation between ads and responses.
In the end, this is a trade-off:
- Free access with ads
- Paid access without ads
OpenAI is betting that most users will accept this balance.
