Welcome to the forefront of conversational AI as we explore the fascinating world of AI chatbots in our dedicated blog series. Discover the latest advancements, applications, and strategies that propel the evolution of chatbot technology. From enhancing customer interactions to streamlining business processes, these articles delve into the innovative ways artificial intelligence is shaping the landscape of automated conversational agents. Whether you’re a business owner, developer, or simply intrigued by the future of interactive technology, join us on this journey to unravel the transformative power and endless possibilities of AI chatbots. 
Adverts will be shown to users in the United States on ChatGPT’s free tier and newly launched low-cost “Go” subscription, while higher-priced plans will remain ad-free.
In a blog post published on Friday, OpenAI said the move is designed to help sustain free access to the chatbot while creating a broader revenue base as it invests heavily in AI infrastructure.
The ads will appear at the bottom of conversations and will be related to the topic being discussed, according to the company.
Users will be able to dismiss adverts, see why particular ads are being shown to them, and turn off personalisation, which would limit targeting.
OpenAI said it would not show adverts to users it believes are under the age of 18 and stressed that advertising would not affect how ChatGPT answers questions.
ChatGPT will maintain “answer independence,” meaning that ads would not influence responses.
The company has also said it will not sell users’ data to advertisers.
The announcement comes alongside the global rollout of ChatGPT Go, an $8-a-month subscription tier that sits below the company’s existing Plus and Pro plans.
The Go tier offers features such as longer conversational memory and more image-generation options, but at a lower price point.
More expensive subscriptions – including Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise – will not include advertising, OpenAI said.
The company framed the introduction of ads as part of its broader mission, stating that its “pursuit of advertising is always in support of” its goal of “ensuring artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity”.
OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman has previously expressed reservations about introducing ads to ChatGPT, saying he disliked them “as an aesthetic choice” and warning that they could undermine trust if handled poorly.
“People have a very high degree of trust in ChatGPT,” he said recently, adding that any advertising would need to be clearly separated from the model’s outputs.
“Maybe there could be ads outside the [large language model] stream that are still really great, but the burden of proof there would have to be very high. And it would have to feel really useful to users and really clear that it was not messing with the model’s output,” Altman added.
“I think it’d be very hard, we’d have to take a lot of care to get it right. People have a very high degree of trust in ChatGPT.”
OpenAI is facing growing financial pressure as it commits to spending more than $1 trillion on AI infrastructure over the coming years.
Advertising move could serve a dual purpose: generating income from free users while nudging some towards paid subscriptions to avoid ads altogether.
The company has been expanding ChatGPT’s commercial features in recent months.
Last year it launched “Instant Checkout”, allowing users to buy products from retailers such as Walmart and Etsy directly through the chatbot, alongside new health and education tools.
OpenAI said it would gather feedback during the initial testing phase before deciding whether to expand advertising more widely.
