ChatGPT Gets Ads, But Not Near Your Therapy Sessions
OpenAI rolls out advertising to ChatGPT's free and cheapest paid tiers, with guardrails around sensitive topics.
Ads are officially coming to ChatGPT. OpenAI has started testing advertisements for some U.S. users on both the free tier and its budget-friendly Go subscription plan.
But there's a catch for advertisers hoping to reach vulnerable users. OpenAI says ads won't appear near conversations about health, mental health, or politics. The company is drawing clear lines around what it considers sensitive or regulated territory.
The move signals OpenAI's push to diversify revenue beyond subscriptions and API access. Free users have long been the majority of ChatGPT's massive user base, representing untapped monetization potential.
Whether users will tolerate ads in their AI conversations remains to be seen. The chatbot experience is inherently more personal than scrolling a social feed, and ad placement could feel intrusive if not handled carefully.