OpenAI has launched advertisements in ChatGPT for adult users on the low-cost Go plan and those without a paid subscription.
We’re starting to roll out a test for ads in ChatGPT today to a subset of free and Go users in the U.S.
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) February 9, 2026
Ads do not influence ChatGPT’s answers. Ads are labeled as sponsored and visually separate from the response.
Our goal is to give everyone access to ChatGPT for free with… pic.twitter.com/S9BV24uJLb
The testing phase has begun in the U.S. The Go plan, priced at $8 per month, was introduced globally in mid-January. Users on Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans will not see paid content.
According to OpenAI, “Ads do not influence the chatbot's responses. Commercial advertisements are marked as sponsored and visually distinct.”
The company noted that maintaining speed and reliability for Free and Go users requires significant infrastructure investment. Ads will help sustain service operations and expand access to artificial intelligence.
Commercial content is tailored based on the conversation topic, previous chats, and user interactions with paid ads. For instance, when searching for recipes, a grocery delivery service might be displayed.
Users can opt out of ads, but this will reduce the number of free messages they can send each day.
OpenAI emphasized that advertisers do not have access to user chats, conversation histories, saved data, or personal information. They only see aggregate performance metrics like views or clicks.
“Users often turn to ChatGPT when exploring options, comparing ideas, and making decisions. In these moments, ads can introduce people to products and services they might like,” the announcement stated.
The company plans to enhance the relevance of commercial ads.
OpenAI Back in the Game
Just days before the ad launch, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman informed employees and investors that ChatGPT “has once again surpassed 10% monthly growth.” He also mentioned that the company is preparing to launch an updated version of the chat.
The programming tool Codex saw a 50% increase in usage over the week, competing with Anthropic's Claude Code, which gained significant popularity in 2025.
In February, OpenAI released a new version of its programming AI model, GPT-5.3 Codex, shortly after Anthropic launched its flagship neural network, Claude Opus 4.6.
“It’s been a great week,” Altman reported.
Competition Heats Up
Anthropic mocked OpenAI in its first Super Bowl ad, highlighting the integration of ads in the ChatGPT chatbot:
- In one video, a simple fitness question turned into unsolicited ads for shoe insoles mid-response;
- In another, a user asked how to communicate better with their mother, and an ad for a dating service for seniors appeared.
Altman noted that the ads were “misleading and that OpenAI will obviously never place ads in the way Anthropic depicts.”
By late 2025, the popularity growth of ChatGPT began to slow amid the successes of competitors like Google and Anthropic.
This raised concerns at OpenAI, as evidenced by a “red code” memo.
Notably, in January, prominent investor George Noble stated that he has been observing company collapses for decades and that OpenAI shows all signs of an impending downturn.