What you need to know
- OpenAI confirms that ads are headed for ChatGPT; however, it will begin a test with adults in the U.S. first.
- Ads are designed to be “relevant,” and OpenAI says that it never collects data about the conversation with its AI in order to produce more ads.
- OpenAI also debuted ChatGPT Go, its newest, cheapest tier at $8 a month.
We’ve heard the rumors: OpenAI wants to bring ads to your ChatGPT chats, and the company’s finally speaking about it.
Today (Jan 16), OpenAI announced that it is preparing to bring ads to its ChatGPT chats. The company states that while users have their views on ChatGPT and the assistance it can bring, it also wants to ensure its ads adhere to those expectations. OpenAI adds that its goal is to bring “truly relevant, high-quality ads,” as well as control over them.
User choice/control was a key highlight for OpenAI moving forward with these upcoming ads. According to the post, users will have the option to disable personalization in ChatGPT, alongside the option to clear all “data used for ads at any time.” OpenAI claims it will “always” give users a way to not see ads, which will be joined by a paid ad-free tier.
How intrusive ads will be was another talking point.
OpenAI states that ChatGPT’s ads won’t “influence” the AI’s responses to queries. In fact, it states that the ads it will show will be “optimized” to be relevant to what you’re doing. An example shows a user asking ChatGPT to help brainstorm ideas for a dinner party. While the AI responded as normal, offering dish suggestions, the “relevant” ad was for hot sauce from a grocery store.
Ads are planned to be clearly separated from the user’s chat with the AI. Users will find who the ad is from, the product in question, the price, the stock availability, and feedback buttons.
OpenAI says it’s not going to just drop ads into its app. Ads are headed for “logged-in adults” in the U.S. on its free and (new) Go tier. The post states that ads will first show up at the bottom of chats; however, there could be a future where users could query ChatGPT about the ad to make an educated decision before making a purchase.
ChatGPT… Go!
OpenAI’s announcements to end the week conclude with its newest (and cheapest) AI subscription plan: ChatGPT Go. After debuting in India, OpenAI is now ready to bring its cheapest AI plan to the U.S. after reportedly observing a “high adoption rate.” The post states that ChatGPT Go offers the company’s GPT‑5.2 Instant model at a lower cost, which may entice more people to give it a try.
ChatGPT Go is available for $8 a month.
At this lower price, ChatGPT Go gives users “10x more messages,” file uploads, and image creation when compared to the free tier’s capabilities. Additionally, the AI features a larger memory and context window with this Go tier, meaning it’ll remember much more about you if you’d like.
OpenAI reports that many users who’ve engaged with ChatGPT Go typically leverage its intelligence for writing, learning, image creation, and problem-solving. As previously stated, ChatGPT Go is here for U.S. users; however, it’s also made itself accessible globally today, too.
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