Last month, OpenAI announced that it would begin testing ads for ChatGPT Free and Go users in the US in the coming weeks. The company has now announced that it has begun rolling out a test of ads in ChatGPT to a subset of Free and Go users in the US.
We’re starting to roll out a test for ads in ChatGPT today to a subset of free and Go users in the U.S.
Ads do not influence ChatGPT’s answers. Ads are labeled as sponsored and visually separate from the response.
Our goal is to give everyone access to ChatGPT for free with… pic.twitter.com/S9BV24uJLb
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) February 9, 2026
OpenAI begins testing ads in the US for ChatGPT Free and Go users
The test will be for logged-in adult users for the Free and Go subscription tiers. The company has once again confirmed that ads do not influence the answers ChatGPT gives, and your conversations with ChatGPT are also kept private from advertisers.
OpenAI explains that the reason for introducing ads to these subscription tiers is that keeping the Free and Go tiers fast and reliable required significant infrastructure and ongoing investment. And ads help fund that work, supporting broader access to AI through higher-quality free and low-cost options.
During the test, OpenAI decides which ad to show by matching ads submitted by advertisers with the topic of your conversation, your past chats, and past interactions with ads. Advertisers do not have access to your chats, chat history, memories, or personal details. They only receive aggregate information about how their ads perform.
While testing, ads will not be shown in accounts where the user tells, or it is predicted that they are under 18, and ads are not eligible to appear near sensitive or regulated topics like health, mental health, or politics.
OpenAI will also continue to build protections to reduce the risk of scams and other harmful or misleading ads. Meanwhile, they will use early ad performance and feedback to keep improving relevance, while always maintaining a clear separation between ads and ChatGPT’s answers.
Users who see ads will have full control over them, including dismissing ads, sharing feedback, learning how and why you’re being shown a particular ad, deleting your ad data with one tap, and managing ad personalisation at any time.
If you do not wish to see ads, you can either upgrade to the Plus or Pro plans or opt out of ads in the Free tier in exchange for fewer daily free messages.
OpenAI has started the ad testing to receive feedback from users and make sure ads feel useful and fit naturally into the ChatGPT experience before expanding. While over time the company will evolve its advertising program to support additional formats, objectives, and buying models, and build new ways for businesses to interact with consumers in ChatGPT.
