OpenAI to start testing ads on ChatGPT for free, low-cost subscribers

OpenAI to start testing ads on ChatGPT for free, low-cost subscribers

17 Jan 2026, 08:00 PM

Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise subscriptions will be exempted from ads.

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OpenAI said that it is planning to start testing ads in the US for its free and low-cost subscription tier in the coming weeks, as the ChatGPT maker looks to create sources of revenue to keep a rein on its ballooning losses.

Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise subscriptions will be exempted from ads, said OpenAI in a blogpost.

Meanwhile, the low-cost subscription tier -- Go account -- which was first introduced in India was rolled out globally on Friday. Go is also now available in the US at $8 per month.

The Sam Altman-led AI startup explained that its pursuit of advertising is always in support of the mission to ensure AGI benefits all of humanity and making AI more accessible.

Despite this noble rhetoric one cannot overlook OpenAI's huge burn rate as it reportedly prepares to float its initial public offering (IPO) this year. Leaked investor documents indicate OpenAI is projected to spend about $22 billion against $13 billion in revenue in 2025, implying a net loss on the order of $9 billion for the year.

In the blogpost, OpenAI also explained that the ads will be "answer independence" meaning that the ads will not influence the answers ChatGPT gives its users.

It further said that it will not share users' conversations with ChatGPT to its advertisers and will also not sell the data.

"You control how your data is used. You can turn off personalization, and you can clear the data used for ads at any time," it added.

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