Overview
OpenAI announced plans to introduce advertising to ChatGPT’s free and new Go tiers in the coming weeks, while launching a new $8/month Go tier today. The company promises ads won’t influence ChatGPT’s answers directly, but screenshots show ads can create separate advertiser-controlled chat sessions.
Key Facts
- Testing ads in free and Go tiers starting soon - more people get access with fewer usage limits without paying
- New Go tier at $8/month launched today in USA - fills gap between free and $20 Plus tier
- Pro, Business, and Enterprise subscriptions remain ad-free - premium users avoid advertising entirely
- Ads don’t influence ChatGPT’s direct answers - maintains answer integrity and user trust
- Conversations stay private from advertisers - user data protection despite ad introduction
- Screenshots show option to chat directly with advertiser bots - creates new advertising channel where brands control responses
- Different context limits across tiers: 16K free, 32K Go/Plus, 128K Pro - higher tiers get more conversational memory
Why It Matters
This represents a fundamental shift in ChatGPT’s business model that could normalize AI-powered advertising interactions while expanding access to AI tools for users who can’t or won’t pay subscription fees.