OpenAI has announced that it will begin testing ads in the free version and Go plan of ChatGPT within a few weeks. Users on paid plans, such as Plus and Pro, will not see these advertisements.
The company explained that the ads will not influence the responses and will be clearly labeled. Furthermore, OpenAI stated that conversation histories will not be shared with advertisers.
CEO Sam Altman had previously referred to advertising as a "last resort." However, he has recently softened his stance on ads in response to the soaring costs of the AI competition.
OpenAI has spending commitments of approximately $1.4 trillion for data center investments and other initiatives. It has been reported that the company aims to diversify its revenue streams to ensure business continuity.
Sources: ChatGPT is getting ads. Sam Altman once called them a 'last resort.'（HN 73pt・41コメント）（HN Search (backfill), 2026-01-17）