ChatGPT Ads: OpenAI To Begin Testing Advertisements in Its AI Chatbot Amid Rising Competition From Anthropic AI
OpenAI has started testing advertisements in ChatGPT for free and "Go" tier users. Advertisements will appear below conversations to minimise disruption. The company maintains that data privacy remains a priority and advertisers will not influence AI responses. This shift occurs as OpenAI reports monthly user growth exceeding 10 per cent.
Mumbai, February 9: OpenAI has officially commenced testing advertisements within its ChatGPT platform today, marking a significant strategic pivot for the artificial intelligence firm. According to reports, the company aims to diversify its revenue streams as user growth continues to surge, with current usage figures reportedly exceeding 10 per cent growth month over month.
The advertisements will be restricted to logged-in users on the free version of the service and those subscribed to the lower-priced "Go" plan. OpenAI has clarified that users on higher-tier premium subscriptions will not encounter advertisements during this initial phase, as the company seeks to balance monetisation with user experience. ChatGPT to Get Ads Soon: OpenAI Confirms Testing Native Advertisements for Free and Go Subscription Tiers.
OpenAI Ads: Non-Intrusive Placement and Privacy Protocols
OpenAI has designed the ad integration to appear in a designated section below the chat interface rather than within the dialogue flow. This approach is intended to remain "less intrusive," ensuring that the core conversational experience remains uninterrupted. The company stated that all advertisements will be clearly labelled to distinguish them from AI-generated content.
Addressing privacy concerns, the firm emphasised that personal conversations with ChatGPT will remain private and will not be shared with third-party advertisers. While the platform may optimise ad delivery based on user helpfulness, OpenAI maintains that advertisers will have no influence over the factual or creative responses provided by the chatbot.
OpenAI Competitive Tensions and Revenue Projections
The move comes amidst a public disagreement with rival firm Anthropic. Last week, Anthropic aired a Super Bowl commercial suggesting that advertisements were "coming to AI" but would be absent from its own chatbot, Claude. OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman described the campaign as "clearly dishonest," leading Anthropic to reportedly modify the advertisement before its final broadcast.
Internal projections suggest that advertising is expected to account for less than half of OpenAI's total revenue in the long term. This financial shift occurs as ChatGPT's weekly active user base is estimated to have surpassed 800 million, following the company's last official data release in October.
The introduction of advertisements coincides with a period of rapid product development at the San Francisco-based company. In an internal memo, Altman informed employees that an updated chat model is scheduled for release this week. This follow-up follows the recent launch of an advanced version of the Codex AI coding agent. OpenAI Frontier Platform Launched To Help Enterprises Deploy and Manage AI Agents As ‘Coworkers’
As OpenAI navigates this transition, industry analysts are closely monitoring how the inclusion of commercial content will impact user retention. The firm appears to be betting on its massive scale to sustain growth while introducing a sustainable business model that supports its high operational costs for advanced computing.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 09, 2026 11:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).