OpenAI, the company behind the wildly popular ChatGPT, is set to introduce advertising to its flagship AI chatbot in a significant shift for the platform. The firm announced on Friday that it will begin testing ad placements for users in the United States in the coming weeks.
A Delicate Balance: Ads Meet AI
The decision represents a notable pivot for a company whose chief executive, Sam Altman, has publicly expressed a personal aversion to advertising. "I kind of hate ads just as an aesthetic choice," Altman has previously stated. However, with commitments to spend more than $1 trillion on AI infrastructure in the coming years and annual revenues reportedly running at over $13 billion, OpenAI is exploring diverse income streams.
In a blog post, the San Francisco-based firm sought to reconcile this tension, stating: "Our enterprise and subscription businesses are already strong, and we believe in having a diverse revenue model where ads can play a part in making intelligence more accessible to everyone." The company emphasised it would proceed carefully, gathering user feedback during the initial test phase.
How the New Ad System Will Work
The planned implementation shows a cautious approach. Ads will not be inserted directly into ChatGPT's answers. Instead, they will appear above or below the AI-generated text, housed within a distinctively tinted box for clarity.
OpenAI outlined several key safeguards for the new system:
- Ads will be served only to adult users and will be contextually relevant to the ongoing conversation.
- They will not appear for users under 18 years old.
- Advertisements will be blocked on sensitive topics including health, mental health, and politics.
- Users will have the option to click for more information on why a specific ad was shown to them.
Altman had previously set a high bar, noting that any ad system must "feel really useful to users and really clear that it was not messing with the model’s output." He acknowledged the "very high degree of trust" people place in ChatGPT.
Broader Monetisation and the ChatGPT Go Tier
The ad test is not OpenAI's only new monetisation effort. Alongside it, the company is launching ChatGPT Go, a new lower-cost subscription tier priced at $8 per month. This move appears aimed at capturing users who may be hesitant to pay for the premium Plus subscription but are open to a more affordable, ad-supported or limited model.
This dual strategy of exploring advertising while expanding subscription options underscores the immense financial pressures facing generative AI companies. Building and running the vast computing resources required is extraordinarily costly, forcing even ideologically reluctant firms to consider traditional revenue models.
The success of this initial US test will likely determine whether advertising becomes a permanent, global feature of ChatGPT. For now, OpenAI is treading carefully, aware that user trust is its most valuable asset.
