OpenAI has officially entered the advertising business.

On January 16, 2026, the company announced that advertisements will begin appearing in ChatGPT for free-tier users and their new ChatGPT Go subscription plan in the United States. This is not a rumor or speculation. Ads are rolling out as early as February 2026.

With 800 million weekly active users, double the 400 million reported in February 2025, and over 2.5 billion daily prompts, ChatGPT represents one of the largest untapped advertising platforms in history. The implications for digital marketers are profound.

800M

Weekly active users on ChatGPT as of January 2026. This makes it one of the largest digital platforms in the world, rivaling traditional social media giants in reach.

What We Know About ChatGPT Ads

OpenAI is launching with an impression-based model (pay-per-impression) rather than the pay-per-click model familiar to Google Ads users. This is a significant distinction that changes how advertisers will need to think about creative and targeting.

Ads will appear at the bottom of ChatGPT responses and will be clearly labeled. According to OpenAI, the initial rollout targets:

Free tier users in the United States
ChatGPT Go subscribers (approximately $8/month)
Select advertisers in the testing phase

Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise subscribers will not see ads. OpenAI has stated they will always offer an ad-free option.

🔑

OpenAI is using AI to estimate user ages and will not serve ads to users under 18. They also will not advertise in conversations about regulated topics including health, mental health, or politics.

Privacy and Trust Safeguards

OpenAI outlined several principles that differentiate their approach from traditional digital advertising:

Ads do not influence answers. ChatGPT responses are optimized for helpfulness, not ad revenue. Ads remain separate and clearly labeled.

Conversations stay private from advertisers. OpenAI states they do not sell user data to advertisers.

User control is built in. Users can turn off personalization and clear data used for ad targeting at any time.

Sam Altman addressed concerns directly: "It is clear to us that a lot of people want to use a lot of AI and don't want to pay, so we are hopeful a business model like this can work."

Why This Changes Everything

The significance of ChatGPT ads extends far beyond a new ad platform. This represents a fundamental shift in how consumers discover products and services.

25%

Gartner predicts that by end of 2026, up to 25% of traditional search volume will shift to AI chatbots and virtual agents. ChatGPT ads position advertisers to capture this migrating traffic.

The discovery paradigm is shifting. Users increasingly ask AI assistants for recommendations rather than searching Google. "What is the best CRM for small businesses?" is a very different query environment than traditional search.

Intent signals are richer. Unlike search queries that capture a moment, ChatGPT conversations reveal context, constraints, and preferences. A user does not just search "running shoes." They explain they need something for flat feet, trail running, under $150.

The funnel collapses. In traditional digital marketing, users move from awareness to consideration to purchase across multiple touchpoints. In conversational AI, all three can happen in a single session.

What Marketers Should Do Now

This is not a "wait and see" situation. By the time ChatGPT ads are fully rolled out, early movers will have established learnings and optimizations that latecomers will struggle to match.

Monitor the rollout closely. OpenAI is testing with select advertisers now. If you have enterprise relationships with AI companies, explore early access.

Rethink your measurement framework. Impression-based advertising requires different success metrics than click-based models. Start thinking about brand lift, awareness studies, and assisted conversions rather than pure CPA.

Prepare conversational content. AI platforms will likely favor ads that match the conversational context. This is not display advertising. Messaging needs to feel native to how people interact with AI.

Diversify your AI presence. ChatGPT is first, but Google's Gemini, Anthropic's Claude, and Microsoft's Copilot will likely follow. The AI advertising landscape is expanding rapidly.

"The companies that learn how to advertise in AI-first environments now will have a significant advantage as this becomes the primary way consumers discover products."

The Broader Context

ChatGPT ads arrive at an inflection point for AI commerce. Adobe Analytics reports that traffic referrals from generative AI platforms to retail sites increased 693% year-over-year during the 2025 holiday season. Users are already making purchase decisions through AI interactions.

Google has introduced ads in AI Overviews. Microsoft has ads in Copilot. Perplexity is exploring advertising. The convergence is clear: AI platforms are becoming advertising platforms.

The question for marketers is not whether to engage with AI advertising, but how quickly you can develop the expertise to do it effectively.

⚠️

User reaction to ChatGPT ads has been overwhelmingly negative on social media. OpenAI's announcement post garnered 10.4 million views with replies dominated by skepticism. How users actually behave versus what they say publicly will determine whether this becomes a viable channel.

The Bottom Line

OpenAI entering advertising is one of the most significant developments in digital marketing in years. An impression-based model on a platform with 800 million users and 2.5 billion daily prompts creates opportunities that did not exist months ago.

The smart play is to treat this as you would have treated early Google Ads or early Facebook advertising: learn fast, test aggressively, and build expertise before the competition catches up.

We will be monitoring this rollout closely and testing ChatGPT ads as they become available. If you want to stay ahead of AI advertising developments, contact our team for strategic guidance.

FAQ

When will ChatGPT ads be available to all advertisers?

OpenAI is currently testing with select advertisers and plans to expand in February 2026. Full availability has not been announced, but expect broader access in Q1-Q2 2026 based on test results.

How much will ChatGPT ads cost?

OpenAI is using an impression-based pricing model (PPM - pay per impression) rather than pay-per-click. Specific CPMs have not been publicly disclosed during the testing phase.

Will ChatGPT ads work for B2B companies?

Potentially yes. ChatGPT is used heavily for professional research and work tasks. However, OpenAI will not advertise in certain regulated categories, so some industries may face restrictions.

How do ChatGPT ads differ from Google Ads?

The key differences are: impression-based versus click-based pricing, conversational context versus search query intent, and responses generated by AI versus links to websites. This requires different creative approaches and measurement strategies.

Can I opt out of seeing ads on ChatGPT?

Yes. OpenAI has stated they will always offer ad-free options, including their Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise tiers.

ChatGPT Ads Are Here: What This Means for Digital Marketing