Ads Launch for Free Users
OpenAI is beginning to test advertisements in ChatGPT for logged-in adult users on the Free and Go subscription tiers in the United States. Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education tier subscribers will not see ads. The test represents OpenAI's first implementation of advertising within its flagship product, designed to support the infrastructure costs of maintaining free access to millions of users.
Privacy and Answer Independence
A core commitment of the test is that ads do not influence ChatGPT's answers. Advertisers receive only aggregated performance data (views and clicks) and have no access to user conversations, chat history, memories, or personal details. During the test, OpenAI will not show ads to accounts predicted or reported to be under 18, and ads will not appear near sensitive topics like health, mental health, or politics.
Ads are matched to conversations based on topic relevance and past interactions—for example, grocery-related ads may appear when discussing recipes—but this matching happens without sharing conversation content with advertisers. All ads are clearly labeled as sponsored and visually separated from organic answers.
User Control and Choice
Users maintain granular control over their ad experience, including the ability to:
- Dismiss individual ads and provide feedback
- Understand why specific ads are shown to them
- Delete ad data with a single tap
- Manage personalization settings and opt out of ads entirely on the Free tier (in exchange for fewer daily free messages)
Guiding Principles
The advertising program is built on OpenAI's previously published principles: mission alignment (funding free access through ads), answer independence, conversation privacy, user choice, and long-term value. OpenAI states its focus is learning from this initial test before any expansion, with plans to evolve the program to support additional ad formats, objectives, and business participation models.
Businesses interested in participating can sign up at openai.com/advertisers for future opportunities.