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OpenAI announced that it will begin testing advertisements on its AI chatbot, ChatGPT, in the coming weeks
In a blog post on 16 January 2026, the company explained that the decision is aimed at boosting revenue to cover the massive costs of running its services.
Initially, the ads will appear for free and lower-tier users in the US.
Subscribers of ChatGPT Pro and Enterprise will continue to enjoy an ad-free experience.
The move marks a significant shift for the tech giant as it navigates the expensive world of generative AI. Currently, only a small portion of its nearly one billion users pay for subscriptions.
Industry analyst Jeremy Goldman noted that the race in the AI sector was no longer just about the quality of the model.
"Ads aren't a distraction from the gen AI race; they're how OpenAI stays in it," Goldman, an analyst at Emarketer, said.
He added that it was now about monetising attention without losing the trust of users.
OpenAI's valuation recently climbed to USD500 billion (RM2 trillion) following several funding rounds
Despite the high valuation, the firm continued to spend cash quickly on the computing power required to deliver AI answers.
The shift brought its business model closer to other tech leaders such as Google and Meta.
OpenAI chief executive officer Sam Altman previously expressed a dislike for advertising, expressing concern that it might cause users to distrust the content provided by the chatbot.
To address this, the company promised that ads would never influence the answers given to users.
"Ads do not influence the answers ChatGPT gives you," the company stated in its announcement
OpenAI emphasised that answers were optimised for helpfulness, and that advertisements would always be clearly labelled.
Additionally, user conversations would remain private and hidden from advertisers.
The company also clarified that it would not aim to maximise the time users spent on the platform.
"We prioritise user trust and user experience over revenue," the firm added.
This announcement coincided with the global rollout of ChatGPT Go. This subscription tier was priced at USD8 (RM32) per month, and it is now available in all operating markets.
