Key takeaways
- OpenAI announced ChatGPT visual ads, image-based sponsored content that first appears while you generate images, with US-only testing starting later this month.
- Users on ChatGPT Plus, Pro and Enterprise will not see ads, according to The Verge and Engadget.
- OpenAI says the ads will be clearly labeled, kept separate from the generated image, and will not influence ChatGPT's answers, though none of this has been independently verified.
- Whether every free-tier user will see the new ads has not yet been reported.
What are ChatGPT visual ads?
ChatGPT visual ads are a new ad format built around images of sponsored products and services. OpenAI announced them in a blog post on a Monday. They will first appear while people generate images in ChatGPT, and US testing starts later this month with an initial group of advertisers.
This is an expansion, not a debut. ChatGPT ads started earlier this year: in February, according to The Verge, or at the start of the year, per Engadget. Those ads show only a sponsor’s name, logo and a link in a sponsored section beneath the chat response.
The visual version adds pictures. BleepingComputer reports that OpenAI sees the images serving as inspiration for a product, a demonstration of it in use, or a glimpse of an experience a service offers. Engadget reports OpenAI’s pitch: the visuals help people imagine how recommended products and services could fit into their lives.
One wrinkle on timing. A Neowin headline says ChatGPT will now show the ads, but the other outlets describe a test that begins later this month. We treat this as a test, not a full rollout.
Who will see the ads, and who won’t?
Users on ChatGPT Plus, Pro and Enterprise will not see ads, according to The Verge and Engadget. The test is limited to the United States. Whether every user on a plan outside those three will see the visual ads is not yet reported.
That gap matters for the question most free users ask: will the ads show up for me? The sources name only the exempt plans. They don’t list who is included.
What this likely means: the exemption list suggests ads are aimed at accounts outside those three plans, but no outlet confirms exactly which ones, or whether every such account will be in the test. An initial group of advertisers also doesn’t tell us how many users will see an ad.
For scale, BleepingComputer attributes a figure to OpenAI: ChatGPT reaches 1.2 billion people per week. That is OpenAI’s own claim, relayed by one outlet.
How does OpenAI say ads stay separate from answers?
OpenAI makes two promises. The visual ads will be clearly labeled and kept separate from the image being generated, according to The Verge, BleepingComputer and Engadget. And ads do not influence the answers ChatGPT gives. Both are OpenAI’s own statements, and neither has been independently verified.
The separation claim is easy to picture for text ads, which sit in a sponsored section beneath the reply. It is harder to judge for images, because no outlet has described how the visual ad is laid out. We don’t know where it sits relative to the picture you asked for.
Our read: the label is the thing to watch. If the sponsored content looks clearly different from your generated image, the promise holds up in practice. If it blends in, the promise is weaker than it sounds.
Which conversations are meant to be ad-free?
OpenAI says it built safeguards to keep ads away from chats where a user may be emotionally vulnerable, the subject is delicate, or an ad would simply be out of place. Engadget gives examples of excluded topics: personal health and mental wellbeing. Those examples come from that outlet alone.
OpenAI’s description is broad, and the sources don’t explain how the system spots a sensitive moment, especially in an image prompt. A text chat about a diagnosis is one thing. A prompt asking for a picture is usually much shorter, with less context to read.
BleepingComputer adds a privacy point. OpenAI says the outside partners that assess its ad safeguards won’t be able to read users’ private conversations. That assurance appears only in that outlet’s report, attributed to OpenAI.
What is going on behind the scenes for advertisers?
OpenAI is building the usual ad-industry plumbing. According to BleepingComputer, it is adding conversion measurement tools for advertisers, with integrations for conversion data from Hightouch, Tealium and LiveRamp. Its list of attribution partners has grown to include AppsFlyer, Adjust, Branch, Triple Whale and Kochava, among others.
On brand safety, the same report says OpenAI has teamed up with DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science to check brand suitability. In plain terms, advertisers get ways to see whether an ad led to a purchase, and checks on whether their brand appears in suitable places.
For everyday users, this part is mostly background. It does show that OpenAI expects advertisers to want proof their ads work, and the announcement says more ad formats are planned.
Why it matters for you
If you use ChatGPT casually: check which plan you’re on. Plus, Pro and Enterprise are the reported exemptions. If you’re on anything else and you’re in the US, expect that sponsored content may appear in more places over time. The company has said it plans to try more ad formats.
If you generate images: look for the sponsored label and treat that content as advertising, not as part of your result. OpenAI says the two are separate. Your own eyes are the check.
If you use ChatGPT for work: Enterprise is on the exempt list, but other work accounts may not be. Our AI for small business guide covers how to think about which AI tools fit your team and budget.
If ads bother you on principle: the sources don’t describe a setting to switch ads off, so the only reported route is the plan-based exemption. Some people may prefer to skip hosted services entirely. Our walkthrough on setting up a private AI assistant on your own PC shows what that involves.
What we don’t know yet
- What a visual ad looks like in practice, and where it appears relative to the generated image.
- How many advertisers are in the initial group, and who they are.
- Whether all users on plans outside Plus, Pro and Enterprise will see these ads.
- How ad content is chosen, and whether it is tied to your image prompt.
- How OpenAI detects emotionally vulnerable contexts in image requests.
- What advertisers pay, and when the format expands beyond the US or beyond image generation.
- How much ad revenue OpenAI has made since ads began.
Until OpenAI shows the format and outside parties can test the safeguards, treat the separation and sensitive-topic promises as stated intentions.
Frequently asked questions
Are there ads in ChatGPT now?
Yes. ChatGPT has shown ads since early this year, per The Verge and Engadget, as a sponsored section beneath the response with a name, logo and link. The new image-based format is only being tested, starting later this month in the US.
Will ChatGPT Plus users see ads?
No. Users on ChatGPT Plus, Pro and Enterprise will not see ads, according to The Verge and Engadget.
Do ads affect ChatGPT's answers?
OpenAI says they don't. That is the company's own statement and has not been independently verified.
How do I turn off ads in ChatGPT?
The sources describe no ads on/off setting. The only exemption they report is for Plus, Pro and Enterprise plans.
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Sources
This article was compiled from reporting by the following outlets. Links go to the original reports.
- The Verge: OpenAI is sticking more ads in ChatGPT
- Neowin: ChatGPT will now show visual ads while you generate images
- BleepingComputer: OpenAI will show visual ads in ChatGPT while you generate images
- Engadget: OpenAI is testing more ads in ChatGPT
- BleepingComputer: OpenAI will show visual ads in ChatGPT while you generate images
