ChatGPT now has ads and OpenAI says they 'do not influence' answers

OpenAI has announced that it is currently testing ads in ChatGPT in the U.S., for users on the Free and Go subscription tiers. The AI company is quick to note that the addition of ads won't "influence the answers ChatGPT gives you" and that your conversations with the AI platform will remain private and won't be used for marketing.

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The good news for those who pay for or use Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, or Education accounts is that you won't see ads, and ChatGPT will remain unchanged. OpenAI has showcased what the ads will look like and how they will clearly be marked as sponsored. Ads will be related to the subject or topic, with a food-and-recipe example interaction delivering the sort of ad you might see elsewhere online.

OpenAI notes that it's adding ads to ChatGPT to support "broader access" to its features, presumably to cover the costs of hundreds of millions of people interacting with ChatGPT every day.

"Keeping the Free and Go tiers fast and reliable requires significant infrastructure and ongoing investment," OpenAI writes. "Ads help fund that work, supporting broader access to AI through higher quality free and low cost options, and enabling us to keep improving the intelligence and capabilities we offer over time."

Interestingly, the company notes that even those in the Free tier can opt out of seeing ads in exchange for fewer daily tokens. In addition to matching ads to topics of conversation and "past interactions with ads," there will also be some restrictions. OpenAI confirms that ChatGPT will not display ads to users under 18, and that they'll also be absent when sensitive topics like mental health or politics are discussed.