OpenAI has officially announced its intention to introduce advertisements within its ChatGPT platform, commencing with tests in the coming weeks for logged-in adult users of its free and newly launched ChatGPT Go ($8/month) subscription tiers in the United States. This significant shift in strategy is driven by the need to diversify revenue streams and manage the substantial operational costs associated with running advanced AI services, despite the company's high valuation. The advertisements are designed to appear at the bottom of ChatGPT's responses, specifically when a relevant sponsored product or service is identified based on the ongoing user conversation. OpenAI has committed to making these ads distinctly visible by clearly labeling them as 'Sponsored' and ensuring they are visually separated from the core AI-generated answer. While the 9to5Google article describes them as 'not exactly subtle' and 'pretty prominent' based on mock-ups, OpenAI emphasizes that this approach is intended to preserve user trust. To safeguard user experience and privacy, OpenAI has established several principles: ads will not influence the content of ChatGPT's answers, user conversations will remain private, and data will not be sold to advertisers. Furthermore, strict content guidelines will prevent ads from appearing near sensitive or regulated topics, such as health, mental health, or politics, and they will not be shown to users under 18 years old. Users will also be provided with the option to dismiss advertisements and manage their personalization settings. Importantly, higher-tier subscription plans, including ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise, will remain entirely ad-free. This move positions ChatGPT's monetization strategy closer to that of other major tech platforms, integrating advertising as a key component of its long-term financial model.