On the weekend, OpenAI celebrated ChatGPT’s third anniversary, the giant AI assistant that initially became viral in November 2022. ChatGPT is currently used by approximately 800 million individuals worldwide, with the vast majority of them using the free version. Although GPT-5 is now free to everyone and is still constantly updated with new features, it may not be long before those who do not subscribe see major changes: ads.
New code discovered within the Android beta version of the ChatGPT app suggests that OpenAI is preparing to roll out advertisements, marking a significant change in the way the free version might work in the future.
Code leak reveals ads are in active development
According to TestingCatalog, the latest ChatGPT Android beta (version 1.2025.329) contains several ad-related strings, including “ads feature”, “bazaar content”, “search ad”, and “search ads carousel”.
This is the strongest indication yet that OpenAI has left the experimental stage and is developing a genuine advertising system in the app.
Rumors about ChatGPT receiving advertisements have circulated for months, and OpenAI executives have already admitted that advertising is “on the table.” Although the company has never offered a timeline, this discovery suggests that a rollout may be inevitable.
How ads might work in ChatGPT
OpenAI has not confirmed how ads will appear, but the industry provides some hints.
TestingCatalog notes that several AI competitors already show ads
- Google’s AI Overviews
- Microsoft Copilot
- Perplexity AI
As ChatGPT currently supports shopping research, image generation, and soon third-party apps and AI agents, integrating ads would align with the evolving product structure.
Well-known AI analyst Tibor Blaho also highlighted the recently discovered ad-related code and pointed out an interesting detail: OpenAI has employed over 600 former Meta employees, a team with extensive experience in targeted advertising.
According to a previous report by The Information, ChatGPT may reveal ads based on its memory feature, meaning ads may be personalized using the information ChatGPT remembers about a user’s preferences.
Will paid users see ads?
It appears likely that only free-tier users will see ads when the feature goes live.
OpenAI is expected to clarify
- how ads will appear
- what targeting methods will be used
- what user data will power the system
- which tiers (Free, Plus, Pro, Team, Enterprise) will remain ad-free
Given the increased push toward monetization, you can expect Plus and Pro subscribers to be ad-free.
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