OpenAI is preparing to test advertising inside ChatGPT as it looks to grow revenue amid roughly $1.4 trillion in long-term infrastructure spending. The move marks a shift for CEO Sam Altman, who previously described ads as a “last resort” business model before later softening his position. Much like Netflix’s reversal on advertising, OpenAI is now following a similar path.
The company confirmed that ads will begin appearing in ChatGPT less than two years after Altman publicly expressed discomfort with the idea, calling the combination of AI and advertising “uniquely unsettling” during a Harvard event in May 2024. At the time, he said ads were something OpenAI would turn to only if necessary.
Since then, Altman has acknowledged that he isn’t fully opposed to advertising, emphasizing instead the importance of implementing it carefully. In interviews and on OpenAI’s podcast, he noted that while ads can be useful when done well, integrating them into AI products requires particular caution.
The shift reflects how rapidly OpenAI has changed as the cost of competing in the AI race has surged. The company has repeatedly highlighted its growing demand for computing power, a push that has resulted in enormous spending on data centers and infrastructure. Without an established advertising business like those of Google or Meta, questions have grown around how OpenAI plans to sustain these costs.
As part of its broader evolution, OpenAI has also completed its transition into a more traditional for-profit structure, a move Altman said would make it easier to attract future investment.
Under the initial test, ads will appear only for free and Go users in the coming weeks. OpenAI says ads will be clearly labeled, will not influence ChatGPT’s answers, and user conversations will not be shared with advertisers. Paid users on Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans will not see ads.
Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of applications, has echoed the company’s cautious stance, saying the key principle is that ads must not affect responses. She has also stressed that OpenAI intends to take a different approach from traditional ad platforms, particularly in how user data is handled, describing the company’s commitment to being highly respectful of user information.