ChatGPT’s free ride is ending: Here’s what OpenAI plans for advertising on the chatbot
Jan 16, 2026, 11:15 AM
FILE - The OpenAI logo is displayed on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen with output from ChatGPT, March 21, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — OpenAI says it will soon start showing advertisements to ChatGPT users who aren’t paying for a premium version of the chatbot.
The artificial intelligence company said Friday it hasn’t yet rolled out ads but will start testing them in the coming weeks.
It’s the latest effort by the San Francisco-based company to make money from ChatGPT’s more than 800 million users, most of whom get it for free.
Though valued at $500 billion, the startup loses more money than it makes and has been looking for ways to turn a profit.
OpenAI said the digital ads will appear at the bottom of ChatGPT’s answers “when there’s a relevant sponsored product or service based on your current conversation.”
The ads “will be clearly labeled and separated from the organic answer,” the company said.
