OpenAI expands testing and keeps paid plans ad‑free

Ads are officially coming to ChatGPT. OpenAI said on Friday it will begin testing ads inside chatbot responses for free users in the U.S. and those on its new $8 Go plan.

That includes a lot of people. If you’re not paying for Plus, Pro, or Enterprise, you’re going to start seeing ads in your chatbot replies.

The company said these ads will show up at the bottom of ChatGPT’s responses, and they’ll be clearly labeled so users know exactly what’s an ad and what’s AI output. If you’re under 18, you won’t see any ads at all. Ads also won’t appear near things like politics, health, or mental health topics, OpenAI said.

OpenAI expands testing and keeps paid plans ad‑free

Sam Altman’s team is already deep into spending mode. OpenAI locked in over $1.4 trillion worth of infrastructure deals last year, and they’re now aiming to cover that kind of commitment.

Sam had said back in November that OpenAI was already reaching a $20 billion annualized revenue run rate. So yeah, this isn’t about pocket change.

To keep that growth going, OpenAI is finally turning to digital ads, just like Google and Meta have done for years. Sam posted Friday on X: “It is clear to us that a lot of people want to use a lot of AI and don’t want to pay, so we are hopeful a business model like this can work.” Translation: if you want AI for free, you’re going to see some ads.

The Go plan, which launched Friday in the U.S., is OpenAI’s low-cost $8 tier, and it’ll include ads too. That’s now the entry point for anyone who wants access to more advanced features than the free tier but doesn’t want to pay $20 a month. But again, ads are part of the deal. Want to skip ads? You’ll need to go Plus or higher.

Sam’s always had mixed feelings about putting ads into ChatGPT. He’s warned before that it could mess with user trust, saying publicly that he didn’t want ads to change how people felt about the product. But he also said back in November that OpenAI would probably try ads “at some point,” even if he didn’t expect it to be the biggest money-maker.

OpenAI said ChatGPT’s answers won’t be changed by the ads, and they also vowed that they’re not selling user data to advertisers.

Users will also be able to dismiss ads, learn why they’re seeing them, and send feedback. According to the company, “We’ll learn from feedback and refine how ads show up over time, but our commitment to putting users first and maintaining trust won’t change.”

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