ChatGPT is introducing ads this year. Why it makes sense.

OpenAI said it will begin testing the ads in the US in the coming weeks “so more people can benefit from our tools with fewer usage limits or without having to pay.” Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise subscriptions, which start at $20 per month, will not include advertising.

Collecting ad revenue gives the company another way to make money. Other chatbots that currently serve advertising or sponsored content include Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity. News Corp, owner of Barron’s publisher Dow Jones, sued Perplexity AI for copyright infringement.

Barron’s also previously reported that OpenAI has brought Fidji Simo onto the team as CEO of Applications and expects him to eventually take responsibility for ChatGPT, which implements ads. Simo, who is listed as the author of the OpenAI blog post discussing the move on Friday, was once the CEO of Instacart. Has a strong understanding of how online advertising works.

Simo said in his blog on Friday that OpenAI will begin testing ads at the bottom of responses in ChatGPT, and those ads will be clearly labeled and separate from the chatbot’s response to the user’s query. Advertisements do not influence how the model responds to questions.

The company also said that during testing, ads will not be shown on accounts where the user is expected to be under 18. They also won’t be shown near sensitive topics like health, mental health or politics.

OpenAI also said on Friday that ChatGPT Go subscription is now available globally. ChatGPT Go costs $8 per month and is advertised as offering users more than the free ChatGPT option, but less than ChatGPT Plus at $20 per month and ChatGPT Pro at $200 per month.

“ChatGPT Go is designed for people who want expanded access to our latest model, GPT‑5.2 Instant, at a lower price—more messages, more uploads, and more renderings,” OpenAI said.

Write to Angela Palumbo at angela.palumbo@dowjones.com