The time has come, OpenAI has finally announced the thing we all knew was coming but didn’t want to believe: ChatGPT is getting ads.
The news hit on Friday last week when the creators of the world’s most popular AI chatbot dropped a blog post highlighting an ad-filled future, with testing beginning in the coming weeks for free users and those on the new ChatGPT Go plan in the U.S.
Step 1: The Hook
Over the last few years, products like ChatGPT, Gemini, and even the likes of Claude have become household names, offering “magical” tools that can answer almost any question you throw at them.
Not only have these products been made readily available to consumers, but they’ve essentially been offered at little to no cost, giving users the ability to see exactly what an AI chatbot is capable of.
The goal of offering these AI tools, essentially at a loss (yes, running AI servers is not cheap), is to create some kind of brand loyalty and reliance on the chatbots on offer. OpenAI might’ve had uproar from its most loyal user base when it launched GPT-5 last year, but that showed that people were becoming attached to the AI model on offer, and that’s only after a year or so of reliance – just imagine once people have grown up with their favorite AI chatbot.
Over the last two years, AI has become one of the most contentious topics in the world. From consumer tech to the environment, everyone is talking about artificial intelligence, and the companies at the forefront of the industry advertise every product release like the second coming of Christ.
The thing is, it’s all part of the process: By operating at a loss without negative connotations like ads, companies like OpenAI have been able to offer a product that would rarely ever be free, and best of all, they’ve been able to brand it as a public utility.
In 2026, OpenAI would have you believe that ChatGPT is as essential to its users as the internet itself, and for many, it’s become the go-to place to interact with the web. With over 800 million users a week, it’s fair to say that OpenAI definitely has people hooked.
Step 2: The Pivot
We’re currently experiencing “The Pivot”, which is the part of the marketing strategy where companies begin introducing advertising. The best example of a pivot from recent times is when Netflix decided to introduce ads back in 2022, following years and years of offering an ad-free experience aimed at competing against the status quo of cable television.
In the case of ChatGPT, the habit has been formed, and people use the product, so whether or not OpenAI introduces ads really shouldn’t have too much of an impact on the company’s user base.
Obviously, there will be some users who leave for pastures new, opting for competitors like Gemini or Claude. But just like streaming, those competitors will all get ads someday, especially since their closest competitor decided to bite the bullet and monetize with a new revenue stream.
The goal of bringing ads into ChatGPT is to monetize the massive user base without causing a mass exodus, and by positioning the adverts as “helpful recommendations,” they almost pass for a feature, rather than an inconvenience.
When streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney Plus started to introduce ads, it worked as a way to push users to more expensive subscriptions. Users will tolerate ads if the entry price remains low, but what if ads are just the beginning?
Step 3: The Squeeze
Ads have been introduced, now what? Well, if we’re using the streaming model for comparison, companies like Netflix added extra tiers with higher resolution, extra accounts, and other benefits for a more premium price.
ChatGPT has always had Plus and Pro subscriptions, but now that OpenAI has introduced a new tier called Go, which won’t be safe from ads, it’s possible, and dare I say it, likely, that restrictions on free AI chatbot accounts will continue to grow.
In the example of Netflix, users who previously were happy paying for the base tier slowly opted for more expensive options to avoid ads and get the same HD resolution offerings they once had at a fraction of the price.
The goal here for companies is to convert users by adding inconveniences that, in the long term, create paying customers. All AI chatbots currently have message caps, AI model limits, and restricted access to newer models. But what if in the future the restrictions are tightened even more?
AI companies are beginning to tighten the belt on usage, because let’s face it, they know their current business model is probably no longer viable. The fact is, everyone and their gran now uses AI, and just like streaming services or cloud storage, we’re going to reach a point where most people will pay for a chatbot.
ChatGPT’s move towards ads is huge for the industry, but Gemini will follow suit shortly, and once that happens, you’ll have to make a choice between paying for the “magical” AI Altman and co are promising or opting for an AI-less future. Which option would you choose?
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john-anthony.disotto@futurenet.com (John-Anthony Disotto)
