OpenAI to show ads to ChatGPT Go, free users; CEO says, 'Conversations will remain private from advertisers'

AI giant OpenAI has confirmed that it will introduce advertising on ChatGPT, marking a change in how the company plans to expand access to its AI tools and earn revenue.

The San Francisco-based company said it will start testing ads in the coming weeks for logged-in adult users in the United States. The ads will appear only on the Free tier and the ChatGPT Go plan.

OpenAI clarified that ads will not be shown on higher-priced plans such as Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise, which will remain ad-free.

The move comes as OpenAI continues to push ChatGPT as a tool for everyday users. Since August, the company has rolled out ChatGPT Go, a lower-cost subscription, across 171 countries. In the US, Go costs $8 per month and offers more access than the free version, including messaging, image creation, file uploads and memory.

OpenAI said advertising will help reduce usage limits for free users and allow more people to use ChatGPT without paying for higher plans. Ads will appear only on the Free and Go tiers.

"We are starting to test ads in ChatGPT free and Go (new $8/month option) tiers. Here are our principles. Most importantly, we will not accept money to influence the answer ChatGPT gives you, and we keep your conversations private from advertisers. 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 are hopeful a business model like this can work," CEO Sam Altman wrote on X.

We are starting to test ads in ChatGPT free and Go (new $8/month option) tiers.

Here are our principles. Most importantly, we will not accept money to influence the answer ChatGPT gives you, and we keep your conversations private from advertisers.

It is clear to us that a lot… https://t.co/f9Dv53rWU7

— Sam Altman (@sama) January 16, 2026

In a blog post, the company said ads will not affect how ChatGPT answers questions. Advertisements will be shown separately from normal responses and will be clearly labelled. OpenAI said responses will continue to be based only on what is most useful to users.

The company also addressed privacy concerns. It said user conversations will not be shared with advertisers and that it will not sell chat data for advertising. Users will be able to control ad personalisation and clear any data used for ads. Paid options without ads will continue to be available.

During the initial testing phase, ads will appear at the bottom of responses when there is a relevant sponsored product or service related to the conversation. Users will be able to see why an ad is shown and dismiss it if they choose.

OpenAI said ads will not be shown to users under 18 and will not appear alongside sensitive topics such as health, mental health or politics.