With its move, OpenAI brings its business model closer to tech giants Google and Meta, which have built advertising empires on the back of their free-to-use services.
Unlike OpenAI, those companies have massive advertising revenue to fund AI innovation – with Amazon also building a solid ad business on its shopping and video streaming platforms.
“Ads aren’t a distraction from the gen AI race; they’re how OpenAI stays in it,” said Jeremy Goldman, an analyst at Emarketer.
“If ChatGPT turns on ads, OpenAI is admitting something simple and consequential: the race isn’t just about model quality anymore; it’s about monetising attention without poisoning trust,” he added.
OpenAI’s pivot comes as Google gains ground in the generative AI race, infusing services including Gmail, Maps and YouTube with AI features that – in addition to its Gemini chatbot – compete directly with ChatGPT.
To address concerns about its pivot into advertising, OpenAI pledged that ads would never influence ChatGPT’s answers and that user conversations would remain private from advertisers.
“Ads do not influence the answers ChatGPT gives you,” the company stated. “Answers are optimised based on what’s most helpful to you. Ads are always separate and clearly labelled.”
In an apparent reference to Meta, TikTok and Google’s YouTube – platforms accused of maximising user engagement to boost ad views – OpenAI said it would “not optimise for time spent in ChatGPT”.
“We prioritise user trust and user experience over revenue,” it added.
The commitment to user well-being is a sensitive issue for OpenAI, which has faced accusations of allowing ChatGPT to prioritise emotional engagement over safety, allegedly contributing to mental distress among some users.
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