OpenAI says the move is driven by high infrastructure costs. Ads do not influence ChatGPT’s answers, and conversations remain private. Which ads appear depends on the conversation topic, prior chats, and user interactions.

Users under 18 will not see ads, and advertisements are also excluded from sensitive topics such as health or politics. Users can hide ads, delete ad data, and adjust personalization settings. Advertisers receive only aggregated performance statistics, with no access to chats or personal data.

“What will always hold true: ChatGPT’s answers remain independent and unbiased, conversations stay private, and users retain full control over their experience.”

Advertising in chatbots is controversial, as the risk of manipulation is considered higher than in search engines. OpenAI therefore emphasizes a clear separation between ads and content. Over the long term, the company plans to introduce additional ad formats.

OpenAI is back on top

A few days before rolling out ads, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told employees and investors that ChatGPT has “returned to more than 10% month-over-month growth.” He added that the company is preparing to launch an updated version of the chat.

OpenAI’s coding tool Codex posted a 50% increase in usage in just a week. It is competing with Anthropic’s Claude Code, which became extremely popular throughout 2025.

In February, OpenAI released a new version of its coding model, GPT-5.3 Codex, shortly after Anthropic launched its flagship Claude Opus 4.6.

“It was a great week,” Altman said.

Competition heats up

In its first Super Bowl ad campaign, Anthropic mocked OpenAI. In a series of clips, it highlighted the idea of ads being integrated into ChatGPT:

  • In one video, a simple fitness question turned into an unsolicited shoe-insole ad in the middle of the answer.

  • In another, a user asked how to communicate better with their mother—and an ad for a dating service for older adults appeared.

Altman called the videos “misleading” and said OpenAI “would obviously never place ads the way Anthropic depicts.”
Altman called the videos “misleading” and said OpenAI “would obviously never place ads the way Anthropic depicts.”

Toward the end of 2025, ChatGPT’s growth began to slow amid gains by competitors such as Google and Anthropic.

OpenAI appeared concerned about the trend, as suggested by an internal “red code” memo.

In January, well-known investor George Noble said he has watched companies collapse for decades, and that OpenAI shows “all the signs” of an impending downfall.