ChatGPT may soon show ads as OpenAI tests monetisation model: Reports

A recent leak from ChatGPT's Android beta app, along with public signals from OpenAI's Sam Altman, points to the company preparing for an advertising-supported version of its AI assistant

Don't want to miss the best from Business Standard?

Soon ChatGPT users will be getting sponsored suggestions and advertisements as they chat with the popular AI assistant, according to a series of recent leaks and industry reports. 

 

The reports suggets OpenAI is laying the groundwork to bring advertising into ChatGPT. Nothing is official yet, but what began as scattered code references in a beta app build has now turned into a broader conversation about how OpenAI plans to monetise its flagship product.

What did the leaked Android app version reveal?

According to information security and technology news publication Bleeping Computer, a recent Android beta build of ChatGPT (version 1.2025.329) contains explicit references to an “ads” infrastructure buried in its code.

 

The publication notes that strings such as “search ad,” “search ads carousel,” and “bazaar content” appear in the app bundle, which is a strong indicator that OpenAI is designing mechanisms to display sponsored or promoted content during chats.

 

The industry trends repository FindArticles also reported similar findings, stating that the leaked code suggests initial testing tied to search-based answers rather than general conversation. 

Why might OpenAI be shifting toward ads?

As highlighted by Bleeping Computer, OpenAI appears to be exploring new revenue streams to manage the heavy computational costs tied to running its increasingly powerful models. The company already operates free and paid tiers, but ads could become an additional pillar of monetisation.

 

Meanwhile, digital media platform The Keyword has reported comments from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledging that ads are “something we may try at some point”, while emphasising that the company has not committed to any particular model yet.  Altman, according to The Keyword report, said ChatGPT’s value comes from the trust users place in its recommendations. If monetisation interferes with that, the platform risks losing the deep trust users have built with it. “If ChatGPT were accepting payment to put a worse hotel above a better hotel, that is probably catastrophic for your relationship with ChatGPT,” he said.

 

Industry watchers have also pointed to OpenAI’s hiring patterns, including advertising-focused engineering roles, which suggest a much more structured plan than just early experimentation.

How might ads appear inside ChatGPT?

Reporting from GizmoChina suggests that the ads may not resemble traditional banners. Instead, they could appear as contextual suggestions, particularly during shopping-related or product-comparison queries.

 

Some media reports say that personalisation features, such as ChatGPT’s memory capability, could shape advertising relevance, raising fresh questions about how user data will be used.

When could users start seeing ads?

At this stage, the timeline remains uncertain. According to industry watchers tracking updates, no public rollout has begun, and no users have reported seeing ads in ChatGPT. What we have so far is internal code, hiring signals, and executive hint so far. 

 

Some reports have speculated that 2026 could be the likely window for a broader rollout, though this remains unconfirmed.

What might this mean for users?

If ads do arrive, the real change won’t just be visual and will be more about trust as an AI assistant millions rely on for neutral advice could begin blending information with commercial signals.

 

For everyday users, this might change how product or service recommendations are interpreted. For professionals, especially those in research, education, and journalism, the presence of paid suggestions inside AI-generated answers may require an added layer of scrutiny.

 

Privacy will also be a key point to watch. Ads typically involve data tracking, and if AI-driven ads lean on personalised conversation history, transparency and user control will become central debates.