OpenAI to roll out ads to US free ChatGPT users

OpenAI will start showing ads to all US users of the free and Go versions of ChatGPT in the coming weeks, a company spokesperson said.

The plan was earlier reported by The Information.

OpenAI has added Criteo, a France-based ad tech firm that helps ad buyers buy and target ads, to its US ad pilot for the free and Go tiers, Criteo said this month.

Criteo has told ad buyers to consider committing US$50,000 to US$100,000 in spending, and OpenAI has said more variations of ad text and visuals can increase how often ads run, The Information reported.

Reuters previously reported that OpenAI is looking at ads as a revenue stream as it faces higher computing costs and tougher competition in generative AI.

🔗 Source: Reuters

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

OpenAI’s ad push tracks rising costs

Rising operating costs are pushing OpenAI toward ads, beyond adding another income stream.
Reports say OpenAI expects to burn $17 billion in cash in 2026, up from $8 billion in 2025 1.
Revenue keeps climbing and recently passed a $25 billion annualized run-rate, yet spending plans still outsize it 2.
Plans call for about $600 billion in compute by 2030 to run its models, which raises the stakes for monetizing 900 million weekly users 3.

OpenAI is assembling an ad business piece by piece

Hiring leans toward engineers who can build monetization plumbing plus trust and safety systems, before a big sales push 1.
Early tests look basic and carry steep entry terms, including a $200,000 minimum brand commitment and limited reporting metrics 4.
A deal with commerce-focused Criteo, a France-based ad tech company that helps brands buy and target ads, suggests shopping queries as the first focus in a U.S. pilot for ChatGPT Free and Go tiers 4.
The approach could form a new ad category around agentic AI, meaning AI that can carry out multi-step tasks on a user’s behalf, which may pressure search and retail media platforms 5.