OpenAI has announced a new phase in its development, revealing plans to incorporate advertisements into ChatGPT. These ads, set to appear as “sponsored” links at the bottom of ChatGPT’s responses, are currently being tested. OpenAI assures users that these advertisements will not affect the quality or content of the answers provided by the AI.

Initially, the ads will be visible to users who are on the free version of ChatGPT or those subscribed to the economical $8 per month Go plan. Those subscribed to higher-tier plans such as Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education will not experience ads. To completely avoid ads, users may choose the Plus subscription priced at $20 per month. Interestingly, OpenAI offers a workaround for Free tier users who wish to bypass ads: opting out in exchange for a reduced number of free messages each day.

While users on the Go tier are unable to opt out of ads, both Free and Go plan users have the option to dismiss ads, provide feedback, turn off ad personalization, prevent ads from being based on past conversations, and delete their ad data. OpenAI emphasizes that advertisers will only receive aggregated data related to ad views and clicks, without access to any personalized user data or the substance of ChatGPT interactions.

It’s important to note that not all users or conversations will be eligible for ads. OpenAI has stated that users under 18 and discussions involving sensitive topics such as health, mental well-being, or politics will be exempt. Moreover, even for eligible users on the Free and Go plans, ads may not appear immediately, as this feature remains in the testing phase.