OpenAI has begun testing advertisements within its artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT for certain users in the United States, marking a notable shift in how the platform is monetised and experienced. The trial, which started on February 9, 2026, applies to logged-in adult users on the free plan and the newer ChatGPT Go subscription tier, and reflects the company’s effort to balance broader access with ongoing system costs.

Under the new test, ads will appear in clearly labelled formats separate from the AI’s responses. OpenAI says the ads are visually distinct and will not influence the chatbot’s answers; they are displayed below responses and identified as “sponsored,” preserving the integrity and neutrality of the AI’s output. Advertisers will not have the ability to shape, rank, or alter what ChatGPT says, and users’ private chats and personal data will remain inaccessible to advertisers.

The rollout is limited in scope and currently excludes users under 18, and adverts are not shown during interactions on paid tiers such as Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education, which continue to operate ad-free. OpenAI has also said that ads won’t appear in specific contexts, such as logged-out sessions, temporary chats, image generation results, or within the ChatGPT Atlas browser—measures intended to preserve user experience and focus only on appropriate placements.

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Users on the free plan will have options to manage or reduce their exposure to ads. They can turn off ad personalisation, dismiss ads, hide inappropriate ads, and even delete ad-related data. Free users can also opt into an ads-free mode, though this comes with lower daily message limits and reduced access to some tools. Paid subscribers at higher levels will remain unaffected by ads under the current testing phase.

The move has ignited reactions from industry rivals and observers. Competitor Anthropic publicly criticised the integration of ads into conversational AI, launching campaigns emphasising its commitment to keep Claude, its AI assistant, ad-free. The debate underscores broader concerns about advertising’s impact on user trust, especially in tools used for personal and professional decision-making.

OpenAI says the ad test is deliberate and limited, aimed at helping sustain the infrastructure and make advanced AI features more widely accessible, while it gathers feedback before any potential expansion beyond the United States. The company emphasises that ads are intended to support broader access without compromising core functionality or privacy.

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