OpenAI is testing more ads in ChatGPT
OpenAI is testing a new visual advertising format in ChatGPT, with US users set to be the first to encounter these ads later this month. The advertisements will initially appear within ChatGPT's image generation feature, helping advertisers showcase how their products and services could fit into users' lives. This represents an expansion of OpenAI's advertising efforts, which began earlier this year with text-based sponsored content appearing beneath chatbot responses.
The company has emphasised that visual ads will be clearly labelled and kept separate from generated images, whilst maintaining its existing safeguard that advertising does not influence ChatGPT's answers. Users with paid ChatGPT Plus or Pro subscriptions, as well as enterprise customers, will remain ad-free. OpenAI is conducting the initial testing with a selected group of advertisers and has implemented content filters to prevent ads from appearing alongside sensitive discussions, such as personal health or mental health concerns.
- OpenAI testing visual ads in ChatGPT starting later this month for US users
- Initial ads appear in image generation feature; paid subscribers see no ads
- Company safeguards prevent ads appearing during sensitive conversations
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ChatGPT is a widely-used artificial intelligence tool created by OpenAI that helps users with writing, coding, research and answering questions. OpenAI is seeking new ways to earn revenue from the service, which millions of people use regularly.
The company began introducing advertisements to ChatGPT earlier this year, starting with text-based sponsored content appearing alongside the chatbot's responses. This marks a change from when ChatGPT operated without advertisements, as OpenAI develops its advertising strategy.
OpenAI has implemented safeguards to ensure that advertisements do not influence the accuracy of ChatGPT's answers. Users who purchase paid subscriptions can use ChatGPT without any advertisements, and the company uses content filters to prevent ads appearing during sensitive conversations.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
OpenAI faces genuine costs in operating and improving ChatGPT, and advertising represents a legitimate way to sustain the service without extracting user data or limiting access entirely. The company has preserved ad-free experiences for paid subscribers whilst implementing transparency measures and content safeguards to prevent ads appearing in sensitive contexts, suggesting a thoughtful approach to balancing monetisation with user trust and safety.
The case against
Even with safeguards, introducing advertisements into an AI tool designed for information-seeking creates inherent tensions between user benefit and revenue incentives, which could subtly influence the platform's behaviour over time. Users seeking sensitive information may encounter ads despite content filters, the visual format adds friction to the core experience, and the initial testing phase suggests limited user consultation before this significant change to the service's nature.