OpenAI will begin testing targeted ads in the United States for free and Go-tier ChatGPT users, TechCrunch reported on January 16th. The ads will appear at the bottom of conversations and will be targeted to the topic being discussed. OpenAI says users can dismiss ads, see why a specific ad appeared, and turn off personalization. The company also says paid Pro, Plus, Business, and Enterprise tiers will remain ad-free for now, and that ads will not influence ChatGPT's answers.

The advertised answer changes the room where a question is asked. ChatGPT became useful because people treated the box as a place for half-formed plans, embarrassment, health worries, drafts, purchases, doubts, and private rehearsals. Placing an ad beneath that exchange does not require selling the user's data to make the commercial gesture intimate. Topic targeting is enough to make the conversation legible as opportunity. The user asks about debt, a trip, a symptom, or a job application, and the bottom of the screen becomes available for a bidder. The answer may remain independent, but the silence around it has been rented.