ChatGPT Integrates Advertising: Towards an AI Influenced by Commercial Interests?

With the introduction of advertising in ChatGPT, OpenAI is seeking to diversify its revenue streams to cope with rising infrastructure costs. An analysis of a company with major expansion ambitions, and the consequences of this decision for users of a particularly popular conversational AI.

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Artificial Intelligence

By Elise Pottier

March 20, 2026

5 min

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Crédit : John Jackson

On February 9, 2026, OpenAI (creator of ChatGPT and one of the leaders in generative AI) began integrating advertisements into its free and entry-level (Go) versions, priced at €8 per month. For now, only adult users in the United States are affected by this change. This comes as no surprise, considering that the vast majority of ChatGPT users rely on the free version, while the company continues to expand its data center construction projects.

An initial testing phase limited to the United States

OpenAI has started displaying ads to users over 18 years old based in the United States. Only users of the free and low-cost (Go) versions are affected by this feature. Ads appear below the conversations users have with the AI, in a clearly separated format. Visually, a simple line distinguishes them. The advertisements must feature products or services relevant to the ongoing conversation and must not involve sensitive or regulated topics such as health or politics.

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Visual published by OpenAI showcasing the "first ad formats under consideration"

If users find this feature too intrusive, they can hide an ad and specify the reason. The feedback collected should allow the AI to offer more personalized advertisements tailored to their expectations and needs.

Sur le même thème : Will AI Costs Soon Be Borne by Users?

A feature designed to improve product discovery and purchasing decisions

The main argument for introducing this feature is the discovery of new products and companies: “Advertising can also be transformative for small businesses and emerging brands seeking visibility. AI tools help reduce inequalities by enabling anyone to create useful and high-quality experiences that help users discover options they might never have found otherwise.”

As users increasingly turn to ChatGPT for their daily activities, it would not be surprising if they also use it to compare products or companies. However, one may question whether already well-established companies will benefit the most from this integrated advertising system. Given their greater influence, there is a risk that ChatGPT may highlight them more, to the detriment of smaller businesses with less visibility (and smaller advertising budgets).

The need to increase revenue to cope with rising infrastructure costs

The use of ChatGPT has continued to grow in recent years, but there is a catch.

5%

of users have subscribed to a paid plan (Plus at €23/month or Pro at €229/month).

Towards AI, a U.S.-based online AI education media outlet

OpenAI hoped to reverse the trend with its €8/month Go offering. However, this has not been sufficient, as free users have not made the switch.

With the widespread adoption of ChatGPT, OpenAI’s operating costs are also increasing. According to Reuters, the company plans to spend $100 billion over the next five years on backup server rentals from cloud providers. This expense adds to the $350 billion it had already planned to allocate to server rentals this year through 2030.

Not to mention OpenAI’s Stargate project, launched in January 2025, which—through partnerships with Oracle and SoftBank—announced in September 2025 the construction of five new data center sites in the United States. This project, financially led by SoftBank and operationally managed by OpenAI, aims to invest $500 billion over four years to build cutting-edge AI infrastructure across the U.S.

The company must therefore offset these investments by diversifying its revenue streams. The integration of advertising is not new among tech companies. For example, after becoming a leader in online video platforms, Google introduced advertising on YouTube starting in August 2007. It is therefore not surprising that OpenAI has chosen this model to expand its sources of funding.

What about our personal data?

OpenAI seeks to reassure users, stating: “Advertisers do not have access to your conversations, your conversation history, your memories, or your personal information.” It therefore appears that, for now, the company does not sell user data to advertisers. For how long? No one can say.

Moreover, this transactional approach could lead to other issues (biased responses, risk of misinformation, user manipulation, etc.). It is well known that AI systems tend to produce stereotyped and sometimes biased answers. What users do not pay for financially, they may end up paying for through exposure to more or less questionable advertisements.

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