Artificial Intelligence
Could ChatGPT convince you to buy something? Threat of manipulation looms as AI companies gear up to sell ads
Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders 3 days
OpenAI confirms ChatGPT ad plans - How it will work
OpenAI is preparing to introduce advertising into ChatGPT, a move that could reshape how brands think about intent, context and trust in AI-driven environments.
19 Jan 2026
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Speculation
The announcement follows months of speculation from industry experts that advertising inside conversational AI would become the next frontier for digital media, as generative platforms increasingly sit upstream of search, discovery and purchase decisions.
In the coming weeks, OpenAI will begin testing ads in the United States for logged-in adults on its free and ChatGPT Go tiers, marking the first time commercial messages will appear inside one of the world’s most widely used generative AI products. Ads will not appear on Pro, Business or Enterprise subscriptions, which will remain ad-free.
A new advertising surface, not a new media platform
Unlike social feeds or search results, ChatGPT is positioned as a personal productivity and learning tool — a distinction OpenAI appears keen to protect.
Ads will be shown only when there is a relevant sponsored product or service tied to the user’s active conversation, and will appear at the bottom of responses, clearly labelled and visually separated from organic answers. OpenAI has explicitly stated that advertising will not influence how ChatGPT responds, with answers optimised solely for usefulness rather than commercial interest.
Context without surveillance
Perhaps the most consequential aspect of OpenAI’s approach is what it is choosing not to do.
The company has confirmed it will not sell user data to advertisers, nor will advertisers have access to conversations or personal information. Targeting will be based on the immediate conversational context, rather than behavioural profiles built across platforms.
Users will also be able to:
- See why they are being shown an ad
- Dismiss ads and provide feedback
- Turn off ad personalisation entirely
- Opt out of ads altogether via a paid tier
Ads will be excluded from sensitive or regulated categories such as health, mental health and politics, and will not appear for users under 18.
About Karabo Ledwaba
Karabo Ledwaba is a Marketing and Media Editor at Bizcommunity and award-winning journalist. Before joining the publication she worked at Sowetan as a content producer and reporter. She was also responsible for the leadership page at SMag, Sowetan's lifestyle magazine. Contact her at marketingnews@bizcommunity.com
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