I remember the day ChatGPT launched; the digital air crackled with excitement and a touch of unease. My first thought was, “This is either the future or the end of my writing career.” Now, as I read the latest news, a different kind of unease settles in: ads are coming to ChatGPT, a move that feels like a betrayal of its original promise.
ChatGPT Embraces Ads: A U-Turn?
I overheard a conversation in a coffee shop last week where someone said, “I trust ChatGPT because it doesn’t feel like it’s trying to sell me something.” That trust is now being tested as OpenAI plans to roll out ads in ChatGPT in the coming weeks. This announcement follows the launch of the ChatGPT Go plan in the US, priced at $8 (€7.40) per month. Free and ChatGPT Go users will be the first to experience these changes, while those on Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise tiers will remain ad-free – for now. It feels a little like watching a pristine lake slowly get polluted.
How Will ChatGPT Ads Affect My Experience?
OpenAI is keen to reassure users that these ads won’t taint ChatGPT’s responses. According to their stated principles, the ads will be clearly marked, separate from the answers, and located at the bottom of the response. The promise is that you’ll see a “relevant sponsored product or service based on your current conversation.”
Furthermore, OpenAI insists that your private chats with ChatGPT remain confidential and that they will “never sell your data to advertisers.” Think of it as a walled garden, where you can stroll, but someone is always watching to see what flowers catch your eye. You can also switch off personalization and erase data used for ads. Crucially, OpenAI says conversations on sensitive topics—health, mental health, or politics—will remain ad-free. The escape hatch? A ChatGPT Plus subscription at $20 (€18.50) per month.
Initially, these ads will appear in the US for logged-in adult users of ChatGPT Free and Go.
Will ChatGPT Sell My Data?
The question of data privacy is paramount. OpenAI firmly denies selling user data to advertisers and assures that conversations are not shared. This is a critical point, especially as AI becomes more integrated into our daily lives.
Sam Altman’s Evolving Stance on ChatGPT Ads
I remember back in 2024, the whispers of ads in ChatGPT were quickly silenced by OpenAI. In fact, Sam Altman himself described advertising as a “last resort” for ChatGPT, adding that “ads plus AI is sort of uniquely unsettling to me.”
He even confessed, “I kind of hate ads as an aesthetic choice” and appreciated that ChatGPT users “pay for ChatGPT and know the answers they’re getting are not influenced by advertisers.” Now, despite this, Altman states, “we will not accept money to influence the answer ChatGPT gives you.” Is this a necessary evolution, or a step too far?