ChatGPT already displays advertisements: how it affects millions of users

ChatGPT has already started showing ads inside its interface in the United States. The test reaches millions of users and marks a key shift in the business model of OpenAI's artificial intelligence.

According to the company, advertising is being implemented first in the Free and Go plans. Plus and Pro users, for now, will not see changes in their responses.

What ads are like in ChatGPT and where they appear

As OpenAI announced at the beginning of the year, ad integration is already underway as a trial in the United States. The company is seeking to sustain the growth of a tool that today has hundreds of millions of users around the world.

The ads appear inside the chatbot interface and are clearly labeled as "sponsored". They are shown separately from the AI-caused responses.

The company clarified that advertising doesn't influence the content that the model produces. That is, the system doesn't modify its responses based on advertisers.

Privacy and limits: what OpenAI promised

OpenAI stated that advertisers do not have access to conversations, histories, or personal data. They only receive aggregated metrics, such as impressions or clicks.

In addition, specific limits were established:

• Under-18 users will not be shown ads.
• There will be no advertising related to health, mental health, or politics.
• Filters are applied to avoid sensitive targeting.

The company also incorporated controls so that users can skip ads or understand why certain advertising is being shown to them.

Paid plans and alternatives to avoid advertising

Users who do not want to see ads can choose the Plus or Pro plans. In the free plan there is an option to disable advertising, although with a lower limit of daily messages.

The strategy follows a clear business logic: to finance development without affecting (according to OpenAI) the essence of the product. The company defined the United States as a testing ground before extending the measure to other markets.

Now the question is not whether there will be advertising, but whether users will accept living with it without feeling that artificial intelligence is losing independence.