ChatGPT will soon start showing you sponsored products or services if they are related to your conversation. In announcement on FridayOpenAI says it will begin testing ads in the coming weeks for logged-in users in the US who employ the app for free or have a ChatGPT Go subscription.
“Clearly marked” ads will appear in a separate area at the bottom of the chat. OpenAI says it will “protect your chats with ChatGPT from advertisers,” adding that it will “never sell your data to them.” According to OpenAI, advertisers will also have no influence on the responses displayed, which will remain “optimized for what is most useful to you.”
You won’t see ads if you’re signed up to ChatGPT Plus, Pro or Enterprise plans. ChatGPT Go’s cheaper $8/month plan is expanding to the US today, but will also include ads. OpenAI says you can turn off personalization, clear data used in ads, reject ads, and provide feedback on them. Users under 18 (or users who OpenAI determines are under 18) will not see ads, and they will not appear near “sensitive or regulated topics” related to health, mental health or politics.
OpenAI has been hinting at advertising for some time now, and ChatGPT CEO Nick Turley said the integration would be “very thoughtful and tasteful” in an interview with Decoder in August. In December, the company experimented with app promotions, but rolled back the change after some users expressed frustration with the update. OpenAI says it is now running ads “so more people can use our tools with lower usage limits.”