OpenAI will begin testing limited advertising in ChatGPT for users in the United States, expanding its revenue strategy while keeping access free for some customers.
In a blog post published Friday, OpenAI said ads will roll out to its free tier and its Go tier. Go accounts, priced at $8 a month, were introduced globally on Friday. The company said the move is aimed at sustaining free access while generating revenue from users who are not ready to pay for higher subscription plans.
OpenAI said its paid tiers, including Pro, Plus, Business and Enterprise, will not receive ads for now.
The ads will appear at the bottom of a user’s conversation and will be targeted to the topic being discussed. Users will be able to dismiss ads, view explanations for why certain ads are shown, and turn off personalization to limit targeted advertising. OpenAI also said it will not serve ads to users it believes are under 18.
The company said the ads will not influence ChatGPT’s responses, describing the approach as maintaining “answer independence.” OpenAI also said it will not sell users’ data to advertisers.
OpenAI framed the shift as aligned with its mission, saying its “pursuit of advertising is always in support of” ensuring artificial general intelligence benefits humanity.
