- OpenAI’s latest ChatGPT Android beta reveals code hinting at potential ads, signaling early steps toward monetizing the popular AI chatbot.
- References like “search ad” and “search ads carousel” suggest ads may appear in search, shopping, or recommendation-style answers.
- ChatGPT has been ad-free since 2022, but free users dominate, making ads a likely avenue to generate revenue from non-subscribers.
ChatGPT
OpenAI appears to be testing infrastructure for ads within ChatGPT, according to code discovered in the latest Android beta app.
The discovery was made by Tibor Blaho, lead engineer at AIPRM and Link Research Tools. He spotted references in the app’s code such as “search ad,” “search ads carousel,” and “api ad target,” all pointing to potential advertising features. Ad carousels, common in digital marketing, allow multiple images or videos to scroll horizontally, offering more ad content in a compact space.
OpenAI has not officially commented on these findings. It is unclear if ads would appear only in the free version, or also in paid plans.
Rumors suggest that ads could appear around search, shopping, or recommendation answers, based on code references like “bazaar content” and “search ads carousel.” This potentially points to a marketplace-style format rather than ads interrupting every chat.
Ads
If implemented, this would mark a notable shift for ChatGPT, which has been ad-free since its public launch in November 2022. The discovery indicates OpenAI may now be actively exploring ways to monetize the platform while keeping user experience intact.
Recently, ChatGPT turned three years old with hundreds of millions of people using the chatbot. At first OpenAI executives including Sam Altman expressed disdain with ads. However, this year, he suggested that maybe OpenAI could possibly make a ‘cool ad product.’
The larger portion of the chatbot’s users are non-subscribing customers using the free version. Thus, it could make sense that the company would want to convert those non-paying users to revenue generating customers.
Bottom line: Even the most ad-free corners of tech eventually find a way to squeeze in revenue, ChatGPT might be next.
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