By Mohammad Owais
December 3, 2025
After three years as a completely ad-free AI assistant, OpenAI is readying the most major business-model shift: ads from OpenAI have been spotted early in testing alongside ChatGPT ads, a surefire signal that advertising is on its way to the ChatGPT experience.
Developers testing the beta version of the ChatGPT Android app found multiple references to “ads feature,” “search ad,” “search ads carousel,” and other advertising-related modules. A few beta testers also reported seeing ad-like elements inside chat sessions, thus confirming that OpenAI has begun experimenting with monetized placements.
Why OpenAI Ads Are Showing Up Now
ChatGPT now sees 800 million weekly users, but the majority rely on the free tier. With OpenAI spending billions on GPUs, servers, and model inference, ad-supported monetization seems increasingly necessary.
Internal forecasts put the company on track to make $1 billion in ad revenue in 2026-a clear signal that ChatGPT ads will become as important a revenue stream as Google Search or YouTube.
The move marks a turning point for OpenAI’s transition from a pure research organisation to a commercially scaled AI platform, according to several industry analysts.
How Advertising Could Work on ChatGPT
According to code within the beta app, ChatGPT ads are likely:
- Search-linked
- Contextual
- Integrated into responses
Also related: shopping; research; recommendations
Rather than traditional banner ads, OpenAI ads appear designed to function like:
- Sponsored product suggestions
- Paid placement in comparison queries
- Promoted items within shopping research
- Context-based recommendations within a conversation
This reflects the format of Google Search Ads-but embedded within conversational AI.
Free Users May See Ads; Subscribers Expected to Stay Ad-Free
Although OpenAI hasn’t confirmed any final policies, early indicators are that:
- Users of ChatGPT Plus, Team, and Pro will also be ad-free.
- Only free-tier users will see ads from OpenAI.
This approach corresponds to the monetization logic of platforms like YouTube and Spotify, which focus on ad-supported free access and subscription-supported premium access.
Industry Response: From Research Lab to Attention Economy
As many have noted across Substack and AI newsletters, OpenAI ads are a foundational shift for the company.
The Algorithmic Bridge wrote:
This moves OpenAI from ‘research lab selling intelligence’ to ‘media company selling attention’. Building AGI for everyone was noble, until revenue targets arrived.
Critics say such ChatGPT advertising could erode user trust, particularly around recommendation-based queries. Proponents believe that advertising is a pragmatic way to scale a global AI system without increasing subscription prices.
Key Questions Raised by ChatGPT Ads
With the deadline nearing, users and analysts alike are asking:
- Will ChatGPT clearly label paid recommendations?
- Can OpenAI ensure neutrality of responses, running ads simultaneously?
- How will advertising affect searches, comparisons, and product queries?
- Will advertising lessen the perceived neutrality of AI-generated insights?
Introduction of OpenAI ads may redefine the relationship between AI Assistants and consumer trust.
A Major Shift for the Future
with ChatGPT Though OpenAI has not officially started serving ads in ChatGPT, the proof that the testing is well underway and a broader rollout is coming is overwhelming.
The move marks the end of ChatGPT’s ad-free era and ushers in a new phase where AI, search and advertising meet inside a single interface.
