You might start seeing ChatGPT ads today

Ben Schoon | Feb 9 2026 - 7:30 am PT

Last month, OpenAI announced that ChatGPT would start testing ads in a move that CEO Sam Altman had previously called “a last resort” for the company, and now those ads are apparently going to start rolling out.

Reported by CNBC, citing a source “familiar with the matter,” ChatGPT ads will apparently start showing up for users starting today, February 9. OpenAI had previously said this would start “in the coming weeks,” so, if anything, this actually feels a bit early.

Update: ChatGPT has confirmed that the test/rollout begins today.

Today, we’re beginning to test ads in ChatGPT in the U.S. The test will be for logged-in adult users on the Free and Go subscription tiers. Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education tiers will not have ads. Ads do not influence the answers ChatGPT gives you, and we keep your conversations with ChatGPT private from advertisers. Our goal is for ads to support broader access to more powerful ChatGPT features while maintaining the trust people place in ChatGPT for important and personal tasks. We’re starting with a test to learn, listen, and make sure we get the experience right

Ads in ChatGPT can appear at the bottom of a response, with OpenAI tailoring the advertisements to be related to your query. Ads only show up for free or “Go” plan users, with higher paid tiers continuing ad-free.

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Here’s what ads in ChatGPT will look like:

The same report today reveals that OpenAI Sam Altman touted to employees last week that the company is “back to exceeding 10% monthly growth” with Codex, a dedicated coding product, growing 50% just in the last week. Altman also teased an “updated Chat model” set to launch later this week.

Meanwhile, the arrival of ChatGPT ads saw competitor Anthropic pouncing on the backlash with Super Bowl spots poking fun at OpenAI’s move, something Sam Altman called “clearly dishonest” in a huff of a tweet.