Artificial-intelligence giant OpenAI is about to stick ads in its popular ChatGPT application for some users — but the company insists it will have measures in place to protect users’ privacy and ensure their trust.
The company Friday announced that it will launch a test of advertising in the U.S. in free and low-cost versions of ChatGPT. Initially, OpenAI plans to test ads at the bottom of answers in ChatGPT when there’s a relevant sponsored product or service based on your current conversation.
“The best ads are useful, entertaining, and help people discover new products and services,” Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of applications, wrote in a blog post. “Given what AI can do, we’re excited to develop new experiences over time that people find more helpful and relevant than any other ads.”
OpenAI’s Simo took pains to spell out what the company will not do as it makes its foray into selling advertising. She said that “your data and conversations are protected and never sold to advertisers.” Ads will be clearly labeled and separated from the “organic answer” provided by ChatGPT, and users will be able to dismiss any ad and disable personalization. “Ads do not influence the answers ChatGPT gives you,” Simo wrote.
In addition, during the test phase, ChatGPT will not show ads in accounts for users under 18 (or who the AI company estimates are minors), and ads will not appear “near sensitive or regulated topics like health, mental health or politics,” according to Simo.
Also Friday, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Go, an entry-level subscription tier priced at $8/month with more features than are available in the free version. In the next few weeks, the company will begin testing ads in the U.S. for the free and Go tiers. The ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise subscriptions will not include ads.
According to Simo, the company’s mission is to ensure artificial general intelligence “benefits all of humanity” and, as such, “our pursuit of advertising is always in support of that mission and making AI more accessible.”
In 2025, privately held OpenAI reportedly generated more than $13 billion in revenue while sustaining significant losses. CEO Sam Altman said on the “BG2 Pod” podcast that OpenAI’s revenue was “well more” than that and suggested the company could hit $100 billion in revenue in 2027.
In December, Disney and OpenAI announced a three-year licensing agreement, under which OpenAI’s Sora video platform will be able to generate user-prompted videos from a set of more than 200 masked, animated or creature characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars. Sora and ChatGPT Images are expected to start generating “fan-inspired” videos with Disney’s licensed characters in early 2026. In addition, as part of the deal, Disney will make a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI.
Separately, OpenAI recently announced plans to introduce sexually explicit material for ChatGPT for “verified adults.”