OpenAI will begin testing advertising within its ChatGPT platform for U.S. users in January 2026, marking a pivotal shift in its monetization strategy. The company insists ads will not affect response quality and reaffirms it will not sell user data.
- Testing begins January 15, 2026, for select U.S. users
- Ads will not influence ChatGPT’s output or response quality
- User data will not be sold to advertisers; targeting uses anonymized session data
- Target CTR of 1.2% and retention above 78% in initial test phase
- Paid subscribers will remain ad-free during the trial
- Potential expansion to other regions and user tiers in 2027
OpenAI has announced plans to initiate a phased rollout of targeted advertisements within the ChatGPT application for users in the United States, beginning January 15, 2026. The test phase will initially involve a limited subset of free-tier users across select regions within the U.S., with the goal of evaluating user engagement and ad performance before broader deployment. The move signals a strategic pivot toward direct revenue generation as OpenAI seeks to sustain long-term operations amid rising infrastructure and AI development costs. The company emphasized that advertising will not impact the accuracy, objectivity, or neutrality of ChatGPT’s responses. OpenAI stated that ad placements will be clearly labeled and will appear only in non-interactive sections of the interface, such as the sidebar or between conversation threads. Furthermore, the firm reiterated its longstanding policy of not selling user data to third-party advertisers, maintaining that ad targeting will rely solely on anonymized, aggregated usage patterns and contextual signals within the user's session. While specific financial projections have not been disclosed, internal benchmarks suggest the test phase will evaluate ad click-through rates (CTR) and user retention metrics. Initial targets aim for a CTR of at least 1.2% among participating users, with a retention rate above 78% for those exposed to ads. These figures are critical in determining whether advertising will be expanded to other markets and user tiers in 2027. The shift affects millions of free-tier users in the U.S. who currently access ChatGPT without cost. Paid subscribers on the Pro and Team plans will remain unaffected during the test phase. Analysts note that the introduction of ads could reshape user expectations around free AI services and influence competitive dynamics, particularly with rival platforms evaluating similar monetization models.