In short. Ads in ChatGPT appear separately from answers and use conversational context and other relevance signals to select paid placements.

Definition: Ads in ChatGPT are paid placements displayed separately from the assistant's answers. As of 17 October 2026, OpenAI documents ads for eligible Free and Go users, with selection based on conversational context and other relevance signals.

Key facts

OpenAI's launch announcement dates the start of the US test to 9 February 2026.
OpenAI's user FAQ lists Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu as ad-free plans and excludes accounts identified as belonging to people under 18.
The advertiser introduction documents billing for impressions, meaning ad displays, and for valid clicks.
The Ads Manager availability page requires the legal entity advertising and receiving bills to be based in a supported country for self-service access.

What does an ad look like?

OpenAI's advertiser introduction describes an ad below a ChatGPT response, with an advertiser name, logo, headline, description, landing page and image. The landing page is the destination reached through the ad.

The user FAQ also describes a test of ads containing several images during image generation. Those ads remain separate from the requested image and disappear when image generation finishes.

The same FAQ states that advertising runs on systems separate from the chat model. Advertisers have no control over the wording or ranking of ChatGPT's answers.

How are ads selected and measured?

OpenAI's advertiser introduction identifies conversational intent, landing-page content and ad text among the selection signals. Advertisers can supply context hints at the ad-group level: descriptions of conversations or topics relevant to their offering. These guide matching without reserving a particular conversation.

The documentation describes an auction that combines relevance with bids. Ads Manager, OpenAI's campaign management interface, reports impressions, clicks, spending and conversions. Static tracking parameters added to destination URLs persist when users click ads, allowing measurement in the advertiser's analytics tools.

What does a business need to prepare?

OpenAI's ad creation guidance recommends a destination specific to the offering, such as a product or collection page. It requires valid, reachable links and access for these OpenAI user agents, which identify automated requests:

OAI-AdsBot
OAI-SearchBot

The same guidance requires the ad creative, image and landing page to comply with OpenAI's advertising policies. It recommends descriptions that add information to the headline and distinct variations that explain different uses of an offering.

The availability documentation separates account creation from country eligibility. A business in an unsupported country can register for notification when access becomes available.

FAQ

Can an advertiser read my ChatGPT conversations?

OpenAI's user FAQ states that advertisers receive aggregated performance information and have no access to chats or memories. If you message an advertiser through an ad, the advertiser sees the messages you send directly.

How can I inspect a destination URL's tracking parameters?

OpenAI's ad creation guidance says that, in ChatGPT's iOS browser, you can use Share to copy the full link. The displayed hostname alone omits the complete URL.

Does disabling personalization remove ads?

OpenAI's user FAQ states that disabling personalization changes ad selection while ads remain visible. It separately offers eligible Free users an Ads-Free option with lower usage limits and reduced tool access.

Sources

Check how a page reads to answer engines. Open the GEO score analyzer