January 16, 2026

ChatGPT's free ride is ending: Here's what OpenAI plans for advertising on the chatbot

OpenAI says it will soon start showing advertisements to ChatGPT users who aren't paying for a premium version of the chatbot.

ChatGPT's free ride is ending: Here's what OpenAI plans for advertising on the chatbot

TL;DR

  • OpenAI plans to show advertisements to free ChatGPT users.
  • This feature will be rolled out soon.
  • Users who pay for premium versions will not see ads.