ChatGPT Is Testing Ads. Ready for Sponsored Hotels in Your Replies?
What happened?
OpenAI has announced that it will start testing ads in the free version of ChatGPT for logged-in adult users in the US. Paid subscriptions, including Plus, Pro, and Enterprise, will remain ad-free.
At the same time, OpenAI launched its lower-cost Go plan in the US. Users who choose this plan will also begin seeing ads.
How will ads appear in ChatGPT?
Ads will show up at the bottom of ChatGPT’s responses and will be clearly labeled as “sponsored.”
There are some limits too. Users under 18 won’t see any ads, and certain sensitive topics, such as politics, health, and mental health, will remain ad-free.
Will this impact travel?
Yes.
In the press release, one example OpenAI shared gives a clear hint to travel: A mock-up showed a lodging ad appearing in a chat about planning a Santa Fe trip.
So, for the travel industry, this could be a big deal. ChatGPT is moving toward being an intent-driven discovery tool. That means when someone asks about accommodation in Paris or Tokyo, a sponsored link from a hotel or booking platform could appear right when the user is about to make a decision.
Essentially, the ads aren’t just sitting next to the travel discovery process; they’re becoming part of it.
Wait… Didn’t Sam Altman say he was against ads?
That’s true.
In November 2025, Altman said in a YouTube interview that ChatGPT was designed to show travel options based on relevance, reviews, and user needs without paid influence. He emphasized that keeping recommendations free from pay-to-play is essential for trust and genuinely helpful results.
So why the change of heart?
The shift is largely driven by financial pressure.
OpenAI is trying to generate more revenue from its 800 million monthly users to support massive infrastructure investments. It has committed roughly $1.4 trillion to AI infrastructure over the next eight years.
Introducing ads could help the company fund its ambitious AI projects while keeping the basic version of ChatGPT accessible for free.
Will ads influence ChatGPT’s answers?
According to Sam Altman, they will not.
Altman stressed that OpenAI will not allow advertisers to influence ChatGPT’s answers and will keep conversations private.
On X, he wrote, “We will not accept money to influence the answer ChatGPT gives you, and we keep your conversations private from advertisers. It is clear to us that a lot of people want to use a lot of AI and don't want to pay, so we are hopeful a business model like this can work.”
Photo from OpenAI