ChatGPT to show ads to free users
OpenAI has begun rolling out ads to free and Go ChatGPT users in the U.S., while paid tiers (Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, Education) remain ad‑free — a move OpenAI says helps fund advanced model development. ( ) The company frames ads as necessary to keep ChatGPT accessible at low or no cost and to bankroll work on models like GPT‑4o, GPT‑5.3 and GPT‑5.4. (seroundtable.com)
Sponsored placements have appeared immediately after a user’s first prompt in tests, with brands such as Expedia showing up in early placements. (winbuzzer.com) OpenAI says ads will be clearly labeled, will not change ChatGPT’s answers, and that conversations and Memories are not shared with advertisers. (openai.com) The company also says users can dismiss ads, share feedback, see why they were shown a particular ad, and delete ad-related data with one tap. (seroundtable.com) Early advertisers in the pilot report the ad product currently supplies only impressions and clicks and lacks conversion tracking or robust targeting. (searchengineland.com) Reports say OpenAI has been pitching premium pricing (about $60 CPM) while some early campaigns produced click-through rates near 0.91%. (aihola.com) (winbuzzer.com) Three global holding companies—WPP, Omnicom and Dentsu—were named as participants in the testing program, and several agency sources described the rollout as conservative and slower than anticipated. (cnbc.com) OpenAI has moved to staff up its ad effort, hiring former Meta ad executive Dave Dugan as vice president of global ad solutions to build advertiser relationships and product capability. (wsj.com)
