OpenAI plans to start displaying ads on the ChatGPT app in the United States

San Francisco – United States

OpenAI, the American company developing the AI chat application «ChatGPT», announced its intention to start displaying ads within the app, with a pilot phase launching in the United States in the coming weeks, a move preceding its competitor Google, which denied having similar plans to include ads in its competing app «Gemini».
The company explained that it will rely on users' chat history to target ads that match their interests, while emphasizing the availability of an option to disable ad personalization for users who wish to do so.
OpenAI provided an example of how the advertising system works, noting that if a user searches for ideas for a Mexican dinner, «ChatGPT» might suggest a specific type of hot sauce within a dedicated section labeled «Sponsored Ads».

Guidelines and Privacy Guarantees

The company confirmed that it has established a set of strict guidelines to regulate ad display, in an attempt to ease concerns related to the use of advanced AI technologies to access sensitive personal information for marketing purposes.
A previous post on the company’s blog stated:

«Ads do not affect the answers provided by ChatGPT to the user. Answers are optimized based on what is most helpful to the user. Ads are always separate and clearly labeled».
OpenAI emphasized that it will not share users’ advertising data with external parties, affirming:

«We keep your conversations with ChatGPT private from advertisers, and we never sell your data to them».
It added that users have full control over their data, including the ability to stop ad personalization or delete data used for advertising purposes at any time.

Ad-Free Option

The company pointed out that there will always be an option to use «ChatGPT» without ads, through paid subscriptions that provide an ad-free experience.