Rebeca Moen
Jan 17, 2026 00:26
OpenAI will test advertisements in ChatGPT’s free and $8/month Go tiers in the coming weeks, keeping premium subscriptions ad-free amid massive infrastructure costs.
OpenAI announced plans to test advertisements in ChatGPT within the coming weeks, marking the AI giant’s first foray into ad-supported revenue as infrastructure costs mount. The ads will appear exclusively in the free tier and the new $8/month ChatGPT Go subscription, while Plus ($20/month), Pro ($200/month), Business, and Enterprise users remain ad-free.
The timing isn’t coincidental. OpenAI faces a reported $1.4 trillion infrastructure spending plan over eight years, and the company needs to monetize its massive free user base somehow.
How the Ads Will Work
Ads will show at the bottom of ChatGPT responses when there’s a relevant product or service based on the current conversation. They’ll be clearly labeled and separated from organic answers. Users can dismiss ads and provide feedback on why.
OpenAI outlined five core principles governing the rollout: ads won’t influence ChatGPT’s answers, conversations stay private from advertisers, user data won’t be sold, personalization can be disabled, and the company claims it won’t optimize for time spent in the app.
“You need to trust that ChatGPT’s responses are driven by what’s objectively useful, never by advertising,” the company stated in its announcement.
The initial test excludes users under 18 and won’t display ads near sensitive topics including health, mental health, or politics.
ChatGPT Go Goes Global
Alongside the advertising announcement, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Go worldwide at $8/month. The tier—previously available in 171 countries since August—now reaches the U.S. and all markets where ChatGPT operates. Go subscribers get expanded messaging limits, image creation, file uploads, and memory features.
The move creates a clear product ladder: free users get ads, Go users get fewer limits plus ads, and premium subscribers escape advertising entirely.
The Bigger Picture
OpenAI’s pivot to advertising follows the playbook of every major tech platform before it. But the company faces a unique challenge: maintaining user trust in an AI assistant that people use for personal, sometimes sensitive queries.
The company teased future ad formats that leverage AI’s conversational nature—imagine asking follow-up questions about an advertised product directly within ChatGPT. That’s either a genuinely useful shopping experience or a privacy nightmare, depending on your perspective.
For now, OpenAI insists its subscription and enterprise businesses “are already strong” and frames ads as one component of a diversified revenue model. Whether users accept ads in their AI assistant the way they’ve accepted them in search and social remains the billion-dollar question.
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