On February 9, 2026, OpenAI announced it had started testing advertisements inside ChatGPT with the stated aim of helping fund broader access to the service. The initial pilot launched in the United States and applies only to logged-in adult users on the Free and Go tiers; Pro, Business, Enterprise and Education tiers are excluded from ads.
Goals and what remains unchanged
OpenAI says the ad test is intended to support wider access to ChatGPT while preserving user trust, usefulness and control. The company emphasizes that ads do not affect the content of ChatGPT’s answers; responses remain optimized for usefulness. ChatGPT conversations are not shared with advertisers.
How ads work in the pilot
- Ads are clearly labeled as sponsored and visually separated from organic ChatGPT answers.
- During the test, ad selection is based on the topic of the conversation, your past chats and previous interactions with ads. For example, recipe research might lead to ads for meal kits or grocery delivery.
- Advertisers do not receive access to individual chats, chat history, memories or personal details; they only get aggregated performance metrics such as views or clicks.
- Users can control the ads they see by dismissing ads, submitting feedback, deleting ad data with one tap and managing ad personalization. Free users can opt out of ads in exchange for fewer daily free messages, or upgrade to Plus or Pro to avoid ads.
Safeguards and restrictions
During the pilot, OpenAI will not show ads in accounts where the user states or the system predicts they are under 18. Ads are also ineligible to appear near sensitive or regulated topics such as health, mental health or politics. OpenAI says it will maintain strict vetting of advertisers and build guardrails to reduce scams and misleading ads as it scales.
Early signals and expansion plans
In an update on March 26, 2026, OpenAI reported encouraging early results: no negative impact on consumer trust metrics, low ad dismissal rates and improving ad relevance based on feedback. Following these signals, the company planned to expand beyond the U.S., initially to Canada, Australia and New Zealand. On May 7, 2026, OpenAI said pilots would also begin in the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil, Japan and South Korea in the coming weeks. By August 11, 2026, ChatGPT Ads had launched in the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil, Japan and South Korea, and the company said it would continue expanding to more markets that year.
Advertising for businesses
Businesses interested in advertising in ChatGPT can sign up for updates at openai.com/advertisers/. OpenAI says it will evolve the ad program over time to support additional formats, objectives and buying models while keeping user privacy and safety central to the design.
Conclusion
OpenAI’s ad pilot aims to fund broader free and low-cost access to ChatGPT without changing model outputs or exposing user conversations to advertisers. The company is rolling tests out gradually, applying safeguards around minors and sensitive topics, and using real-world feedback to refine ad relevance and protections as it expands.
