Having previously claimed it would not introduce ads, like many other platforms, OpenAI has found the pull of ad-supported tiers too strong to resist. In itself, it seems like a natural move – ChatGPT currently stands at more than 800 million active weekly users. However, as with all AI solutions, there may be ramifications for how consumers, advertisers and ad networks experience discovery going forward.
In a statement about the initiative, OpenAI said: “In the coming weeks, we’re planning to start testing ads in the U.S. for the free and Go tiers, so more people can benefit from our tools with fewer usage limits or without having to pay. Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise subscriptions will not include ads.”
It then revealed what it calls its ‘ad principles’:
- Mission alignment: Our mission is to ensure AGI benefits all of humanity; our pursuit of advertising is always in support of that mission and making AI more accessible.
- Answer independence: Ads do not influence the answers ChatGPT gives you. Answers are optimized based on what’s most helpful to you. Ads are always separate and clearly labelled.
- Conversation privacy: We keep your conversations with ChatGPT private from advertisers, and we never sell your data to advertisers.
- Choice and control: You control how your data is used. You can turn off personalization, and you can clear the data used for ads at any time. We’ll always offer a way to not see ads in ChatGPT, including a paid tier that’s ad-free.
- Long-term value: We do not optimize for time spent in ChatGPT. We prioritize user trust and user experience over revenue.
There has been a degree of hand-wringing across the marketing press since this announcement, with suggestions that this could usher in a turbulent period particularly for retail media.
Speaking to Retail Media Age, Julia Larionova, Head of Marketing at PropellerAds, suggests that angst may be a little overblown.
“There’s been a lot of speculation about what ads in ChatGPT could mean for retail media networks, but it’s unlikely to be a zero-sum shift. Retail media works because it sits close to the point of purchase, where intent is already strong and conversion happens. ChatGPT advertising would operate much earlier, during the consideration phase when users are asking questions like ‘what’s the best…’ or ‘help me choose between…’, shaping decisions before a user even lands on a marketplace or retailer site,” she suggests.
Larionova goes on to claim that, If anything, this could increase the value of retail media by sending more qualified traffic into those environments. The real impact will be felt in how brands plan budgets and messaging across the journey. Advertisers will need to think more carefully about which channels influence consideration and which close the sale.
“The bigger change is behavioural. Discovery is becoming conversational, rather than navigational. Users aren’t just searching and clicking; they’re asking, refining, and deciding within the conversation itself. That doesn’t weaken retail media networks, but it does mean they’ll exist within a more complex, multi-touch advertising ecosystem,” she predicts, adding:
“For advertisers, the question isn’t ‘ChatGPT or retail media’, it’s ‘how do we build a strategy that recognises where each adds value, and ensures our brand shows up at both moments that matter for final conversion’”.
OpenAI’s statement concludes: “We’re not launching ads yet, but we do plan to start testing in the coming weeks for logged in adults in the U.S. on the free and Go tiers. To start, we plan to test ads at the bottom of answers in ChatGPT when there’s a relevant sponsored product or service based on your current conversation. Ads will be clearly labelled and separated from the organic answer. You’ll be able to learn more about why you’re seeing that ad or dismiss any ad and tell us why.”
