- ChatGPT pronounces adverts are coming to its free tier
- An $8-a-month ChatGPT Go can be coming, however it’s going to nonetheless have adverts
- Opting out might require paying at the least $20 a month
ChatGPT will quickly have adverts, at the least on its free tier, and the information comes instantly from OpenAI. The adverts aren’t within the chatbot but, however you possibly can anticipate to see them “within the coming weeks.”
OpenAI lastly confirmed the rumor in a detailed blog post on Friday (January 16, 2026) that outlines not solely its advert plans, but in addition its rules for the way and why they will show them: “Our mission is to make sure AGI advantages all of humanity.”
The AI giant simultaneously announced global availability of ChatGPT Go, a more affordable entry-level tier at $8 a month, which, unfortunatley will not be your first option for avoiding the advertising when it arrives.
Adding advertising to ChatGPT is a no-brainer for OpenAI. The company has yet to achieve profitability; its operating costs are said to be astronomical, and it has significant earning potential with a reported 800 million monthly active users.
Addressing even a fraction of those users could spell billions in revenue. Integrated advertising might also put ChatGPT on a more level playing field with its chief competitor, Google Gemini. Gemini AI Overviews are already a part of Google search outcomes, that are festooned with promoting.
What will the ads look like?
OpenAI says the ads will appear at the bottom of prompt results, as shown in the example above. So at least you can read your answer before you have to read a commercial for Squarespace.
The advertisements will be context-based, meaning they will be tied to the content of your ChatGPT conversation. Ask ChatGPT about the best laptop to buy, and you might see an ad from Dell or Lenovo on the backside.
Will these ads be different?
OpenAI plans to let advertisers take advantage of the platform, allowing consumers ask the advertisers about the products or purchase decisions in much the same way they could interact with ChatGPT.
“AI tools level the playing field even further, allowing anyone to create high-quality experiences that help people discover options they might never have found otherwise,” writes OpenAI in the post.
All of these ads and ad experiences will be clearly labeled, according to OpenAI.
Who won’t see ads?
Anyone the system knows is under 18, or someone who tells ChatGPT they’re under that age, won’t see any advertising. OpenAI will also keep ads clear of chat topics revolving around health and politics.
Ads also won’t influence the information within your prompt answers, meaning that there should be no consideration of a response that might benefit, highlight, or criticize a possible advertiser.
Controls and opting out
OpenAI is promising not to sell customer data to third parties, and it will let you turn off personalization and clear your data, both of which might impact the relevance of ads you see in ChatGPT.
One obvious way to avoid seeing the ads is to join a paid tier that doesn’t include the new $8-a-month ChatGPT Go plan, though. While Go gives you more access to OpenAI’s latest model and enhanced image generation, you need to be on the $20-a-month ChatGPT Plus plan to avoid ads.
However, OpenAI says, “We’ll always offer a way to not see ads in ChatGPT, including a paid tier that’s ad-free,” which suggests there might be other alternatives for turning off ads, though it’s not clear right now what those might be.
Advertisement tests in the free and ChatGPT Go tiers will be starting in the US soon. No word on when they’ll spread to other users, though we’d guess that will depend on their success in the states.
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