ChatGPT users may soon start seeing ads in their conversations , as OpenAI announced Monday that it is officially starting a test of its AI platform. The ads will appear as highlighted “sponsored” links at the bottom of ChatGPT responses, but OpenAI says they “will not affect the answers the chatbot gives you.”
Right now, ads will only appear for users of the free version of ChatGPT or the more affordable Go , which costs $8 per month. Users of the Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education plans will not see ads, so anyone who wants to avoid them will have to pay at least $20 per month for a Plus subscription. There is one exception — OpenAI notes that users can “opt out of ads on the free tier in exchange for fewer free messages per day.”
See also: ChatGPT Atlas gains new features
What options do ChatGPT users have regarding advertising?
Users on the Go tier can't opt out of ads, but users on both the free and Go plans can reject ads, share feedback about ads, turn off ad personalization, turn off the option to have ads based on past conversations, and delete ad data .
According to OpenAI, advertisers will only receive data about “aggregated ad views and clicks,” not personalized data or content from users’ conversations on ChatGPT.
See also: OpenAI: Goal for 2026 is 'practical adoption' of AI
Can everyone see ads?
Additionally, not all users and conversations will be eligible for ads, including users under 18 and conversations on certain sensitive topics “like health, mental health , or politics.” Even adult users on the chatbot’s free and Go plans may not immediately start seeing ads, as the feature is still in beta.
See also: ChatGPT: New age prediction model for the protection of minors
The introduction of ads on ChatGPT was announced a few weeks ago. Shortly before the test launch, competitor Anthropic made a pointed statement about ads on ChatGPT, saying that it itself has no intention of adding ads to users' conversations with its AI chatbot.
