OpenAI is set to introduce advertising to its flagship ChatGPT service in the United States, a significant move as the company seeks to diversify its income sources beyond subscriptions.
A Cautious Rollout for US Users
The San Francisco-based firm announced on Friday that it will begin testing ad placements for adult users in the US in the coming weeks. The advertisements will be positioned above or below ChatGPT's answers, not embedded within the text itself. According to mock-ups, the sponsored content will appear in a distinctively tinted box.
OpenAI has outlined specific parameters for the new system. Ads will be served based on the context of a user's conversation, appearing "when there's a relevant sponsored product or service." The company has committed to blocking ads for users under 18 and will prevent them from appearing alongside responses on sensitive topics, including health, mental health, and politics. Users will also have the option to click for more information on why a particular ad was shown.
Altman's Aesthetic Dilemma and Financial Realities
The introduction of ads represents a notable pivot for OpenAI, whose CEO, Sam Altman, has publicly expressed a personal aversion to advertising. "I kind of hate ads just as an aesthetic choice," Altman previously stated. He recently emphasised the high "burden of proof" required, noting that any ad implementation must feel "really useful to users" and be "really clear that it was not messing with the model's output."
This move comes against the backdrop of immense financial commitments. OpenAI has pledged to spend more than $1 trillion on AI infrastructure in the coming years, while Altman has revealed the company's annualised revenue runs at well over $13 billion. In a blog post, the company attempted to bridge the gap between principle and pragmatism, stating: "Our enterprise and subscription businesses are already strong, and we believe in having a diverse revenue model where ads can play a part in making intelligence more accessible to everyone."
New Subscription Tier and Future Feedback
Alongside the ad test, OpenAI is launching ChatGPT Go, a new low-cost subscription tier priced at $8 per month. The company expressed its intention to gather user feedback once the first ad formats go live, indicating a potentially iterative approach to the controversial feature.
This strategic expansion into advertising underscores the intense pressure on even the most prominent AI firms to build sustainable, multi-faceted business models as development and operational costs skyrocket. The success of the US test will likely determine whether ads become a permanent fixture in the ChatGPT experience worldwide.
