OpenAI Teeters on Brink of Ad-Rich Future for ChatGPT.
A recent beta version of ChatGPT's Android app has sparked speculation that the popular AI chatbot may soon be introducing ads to its free tier. The 1.2025.329 beta version, not currently available to the public, features lines of code referencing "ads feature," "search ad," and "bazaar content." This discovery comes after a report from The Information earlier this month that suggested OpenAI was considering incorporating ads into ChatGPT based on user interactions.
According to CEO Sam Altman, who has previously expressed reservations about embedding ads in the platform, combining advertising with AI is an area of exploration. In a 2023 event at Harvard Business School, Altman described this combination as "uniquely unsettling" β but also hinted that it may not be entirely out of the question.
Months later, Altman reaffirmed his openness to ad integration on the OpenAI podcast, even if he hasn't yet determined how they would work. The recently uncovered lines of code suggest that OpenAI may be considering introducing ads to its free tier, which already imposes limits on messages, memory, and reasoning.
A recent beta version of ChatGPT's Android app has sparked speculation that the popular AI chatbot may soon be introducing ads to its free tier. The 1.2025.329 beta version, not currently available to the public, features lines of code referencing "ads feature," "search ad," and "bazaar content." This discovery comes after a report from The Information earlier this month that suggested OpenAI was considering incorporating ads into ChatGPT based on user interactions.
According to CEO Sam Altman, who has previously expressed reservations about embedding ads in the platform, combining advertising with AI is an area of exploration. In a 2023 event at Harvard Business School, Altman described this combination as "uniquely unsettling" β but also hinted that it may not be entirely out of the question.
Months later, Altman reaffirmed his openness to ad integration on the OpenAI podcast, even if he hasn't yet determined how they would work. The recently uncovered lines of code suggest that OpenAI may be considering introducing ads to its free tier, which already imposes limits on messages, memory, and reasoning.