OpenAI Prepares to Introduce Ads to ChatGPT as Code Reveals Advertising Infrastructure

Code suggests that OpenAI may be close to introducing ads for ChatGPT

The truly free ride for ChatGPT might soon come to a close as OpenAI could be nearing the introduction of ads. As first discovered by Tibor Blaho on X, a beta version of ChatGPT's Android app includes lines of code that heavily reference ads. According to the post, the 1.2025.329 beta version includes mentions of "ads feature," "search ad" and "bazaar content." While this isn't a version that's available to the public yet, it could be an indication that OpenAI is ready to open the ad floodgates. This discovery follows a report from The Information earlier this month that claimed that OpenAI was considering incorporating ads in ChatGPT based on memory or user chats. Sam Altman, OpenAI's CEO, has previously discussed how ads could get incorporated into ChatGPT, but has never offered a definitive stance. During an event at Harvard Business School last year, Altman said that combining ads and AI is "uniquely unsettling to me" and that it's a "last resort for us as a business model," but that he's "not totally against them." Months later, Altman reiterated in the first episode of the OpenAI podcast that the company isn't against embedding ads into the platform but hasn't figured out the exact method. While the recently-discovered lines of code don't reveal where ads would be included, OpenAI could be considering ads for the free tier that already offers limits on messages, memory and overall reasoning.

ChatGPT might show ads according to a code string

OpenAI appears to be laying the technical groundwork to monetize its free user base through advertising, signaling a shift from its ad-free origins. Code buried within the latest beta version of the ChatGPT Android app (v1.2025.329) explicitly references advertising frameworks, including specific strings for "ads feature," "search ad," and "bazaar content." The discovery, made by reverse engineer Tibor Blaho, indicates that the infrastructure to serve commercial content is being actively developed, even if it is not yet visible to the public. This technical development aligns with recent reporting from The Information, which suggested OpenAI was exploring ad models that could leverage user chat history and memory data. While CEO Sam Altman previously described the intersection of AI and advertising as "uniquely unsettling" and a "last resort" during a Harvard Business School event, he has steadily softened this stance, admitting the company is not "totally against" the revenue model. If implemented, these ads would likely target the platform's free tier, effectively ending the "truly free ride" for non-paying users who already face restrictions on reasoning capabilities and message limits.

ChatGPT users spot ads as OpenAI begins experimental rollout: Here's what we know

The beta version, labelled 1.2025.329, is not available to the public yet, but inside it the developer found terms like "ads feature", "search ad", "search ads carousel" and "bazaar content" OpenAI is reportedly getting ready to show ads inside the ChatGPT app, and some users say they are already seeing them. On social media platform X, several people are posting screenshots claiming that ads are appearing in their ChatGPT experience. This comes after developer Tibor Blaho found code related to ads. The beta version, labelled 1.2025.329, is not available to the public yet, but inside it the developer found terms like "ads feature", "search ad", "search ads carousel" and "bazaar content" The idea of advertising in ChatGPT is not completely new. Earlier this month, a report from The Information said that OpenAI is exploring the idea of placing advertisements inside ChatGPT. During a talk at Harvard Business School, Sam Altman called the mix of ads and AI "uniquely unsettling" and said the company would treat ads as a "last resort business model." However, he also made it clear that he is not completely against the idea if it becomes necessary. Also read: ChatGPT and Gemini can be fooled by poems to give harmful responses, study finds Altman again spoke about this on the OpenAI podcast, saying the company is open to experimenting with ads. The new code in the Android beta does not give clear details, but it suggests that ads could be aimed mainly at users of the free version of ChatGPT. The free tier already has limits on how much people can use it. Adding ads could be one way for OpenAI to cover the high costs of running large AI models while keeping a free option available. Also read: Amazon Black Friday Sale: Google Pixel 9a price drops by over Rs 9,200: Details If OpenAI goes ahead with this plan, ChatGPT could start showing ads during searches or inside chat responses. For now, ad features seem to be in testing, but the code and user reports show that OpenAI is actively moving toward an ad-supported future.