Artificial intelligence is approaching a pivotal moment.
On ChatGPT, millions of people will have access to advertisements that help them learn faster, work smarter, and get what they need. The question is no longer whether AI will transform society, but who will benefit from that transformation.
Access to intelligence won’t be a privilege reserved for a few. Who gets access to advanced AI advertisements will determine whether it becomes a force that expands opportunity or one that deepens existing divides.
ChatGPT’s decision to test advertising is not simply about monetisation. From an advertiser’s perspective, it introduces a fundamentally different environment. It is built on intent, trust, rather than clicks, feeds, or endless scrolling.
Expanding Access Through Free & Low-Cost AI
To ensure powerful AI tools reach as many people as possible, ChatGPT will expand access through:
- A free tier that allows anyone to experience ChatGPT
- A low-cost subscription, ChatGPT Go, designed for broader global affordability
Since its launch in August, ChatGPT Go has rolled out to 171 countries, offering expanded capabilities such as:
- Increased messaging limits
- Image generation
- Memory features
- File uploads
Now, ChatGPT Go is launching in the United States and everywhere ChatGPT is available, priced at $8 per month. This tier bridges the gap between free access and premium subscriptions.
More people can now use advanced AI without high costs.
At the same time, Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans will remain fully ad-free, ensuring choice across every level of use.
Why Advertising Is Part Of The Strategy
Even with subscriptions, providing AI at global scale is resource-intensive.
Advertising allows us to:
- Keep the free tier viable
- Reduce usage limits for free and low-cost users
- Offer access to advanced tools without requiring payment from everyone
In the coming weeks, we plan to begin testing ads in the U.S. for free and ChatGPT Go users. This is not about maximising revenue.
It’s about sustainability and inclusion.
As one widely shared post said: “Ads help keep ChatGPT free and affordable. More people can use advanced AI without paying or by paying much less.”
What Makes ChatGPT Trustworthy
ChatGPT is used for personal tasks, such as learning, career planning, creativity, problem-solving, and more.
Introducing ads without protecting trust would undermine everything they’ve built.
That’s why their approach is governed by “strict and non-negotiable” principles.
Our Advertising Principles
1. Mission Alignment
- Ensure AGI benefits all of humanity.
- Advertising expands access.
- Ads do not exploit attention.
2. Answer Independence
- Ads never influence ChatGPT’s responses
- Answers are optimised for usefulness and accuracy
- Ads are labelled and clearly separated from organic responses
ChatGPT’s intelligence remains neutral, objective, and user-focused.
3. Conversation Privacy
- Your conversations are private
- ChatGPT never sells user data to advertisers
- Advertisers do not see your chat history
Privacy is foundational. Not optional.
4. Choice and Control
Users stay in control of their experience:
- You can turn off ad personalisation
- You can clear ad-related data
- You can dismiss ads and explain why
- There will always be an ad-free paid option
5. Long-Term Value Over Engagement
ChatGPT does not optimise for time spent, clicks, or addictive behaviour.
User trust and experience matter more than short-term revenue.
How Ads Will Work On ChatGPT
Based on current plans, ads will follow these rules:
- Appear only when relevant to the conversation
- Display after the main answer, never inside it
- Be clearly labelled as sponsored
- Appear separately from organic responses
- Allow users to learn why they’re seeing an ad or dismiss it
Importantly, ads will not appear:
- For users under 18
In conversations involving sensitive or regulated topics such as:
- Health
- Mental health
- Politics
Where Will Ads Be Tested
Ads will be tested in the U.S. in the coming weeks.
Ads apply only to:
- Free tier users
- ChatGPT Go users
- Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise remain ad-free
How ads will work:
- Ads are clearly labelled
- Organic answers come first
- Ads appear separately at the bottom
- Users can dismiss ads and turn off personalisation
- Ads won’t change or influence ChatGPT’s answers
- Conversations are private and are not sold to advertisers
Who won’t see ads:
- Users under 18
- Conversations about health, mental health, or politics
Initial ad format:
- Simple sponsored product or service suggestions
- Only when relevant
- Placed after the main response
This summary aligns closely with OpenAI’s stated principles and reinforces the focus on transparency and control.
What Ads Might Look Like
Early formats are intentionally simple and unobtrusive.
Example Scenarios:
- A recipe conversation followed by a labelled grocery product recommendation
- A travel discussion accompanied by a sponsored local accommodation listing
- A future experience where users can ask follow-up questions directly within an ad
These formats aim to be useful, contextual, and respectful.
Why This Matters for Small Businesses
Advertising through conversational AI opens new doors for small and emerging brands:
- Competing on relevance, not budget size
- Creating interactive, high-quality discovery experiences
- Reaching users at moments of genuine intent
AI can level the playing field and help people discover options they might never have encountered otherwise.
A Diverse and Sustainable Future for ChatGPT
Advertising is only one part of a broader, diversified revenue model that includes:
- Strong enterprise adoption
- Growing paid subscriptions
- Business and developer solutions
The long-term focus remains on building products that people and organisations find valuable enough to pay for.
What The Future Holds
ChatGPT is not launching ads globally overnight. It will test, listen, iterate, and refine guided by user feedback and our core principles.
By designing an ad platform from the ground up with privacy, transparency, and user control at its core, it’s possible to expand access to AI responsibly, so intelligence truly becomes a resource for everyone.
Need a fresh perspective? Let’s talk.
At 360 OM, we specialise in helping businesses take their marketing efforts to the next level. Our team stays on top of industry trends, uses data-informed decisions to maximise your ROI, and provides full transparency through comprehensive reports.
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