OpenAI has begun testing advertisements in the US for users on its Free and Go subscription tiers, with the Go plan priced at $8 per month. Paid users on Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education plans will not see ads. The company stated that advertising will not affect ChatGPT’s responses and that conversations will remain private. Ads are intended to support broader access to advanced ChatGPT features while maintaining user trust, especially for personal or sensitive use cases.
The announcement drew attention after rival AI company Anthropic aired Super Bowl commercials mocking the idea of ads in AI chat, portraying them as poorly targeted and disruptive. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman criticized the ads as dishonest and described Anthropic as authoritarian. Despite initial user resistance to ads, OpenAI continues to explore revenue streams to offset AI development costs.
Ads will be clearly labeled as sponsored, kept separate from organic responses, and optimized to be helpful based on conversation topics, past chats, and previous interactions. Advertisers will not have access to individual user data, only aggregate metrics such as views and clicks. Users can view and clear ad history, dismiss ads, submit feedback, and manage personalization settings. Ads will not appear for users under 18 or near sensitive topics such as health, politics, or mental health.
