OpenAI Starts ChatGPT Ad Tests, and Travel Is Watching

OpenAI began testing ads inside ChatGPT in the United States. The test is limited to logged-in adult users on the Free plan and the Go subscription tier. Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education will remain ad-free. Ads will appear below responses, be clearly labeled as “sponsored,” and run separately from the model so they do not influence answers.

Ads move closer to trip-planning decisions

Travel planning is a classic “high-intent” activity: people compare destinations, hotels, flights, and tours right before spending money. ChatGPT is already used for that kind of research, so ads here could become a new place where travel brands compete for attention. For example, a traveler might ask for “best areas to stay” and then see a sponsored option immediately after the generated advice.

Sponsored placements, targeting signals, and privacy limits

OpenAI says ads can be selected based on what you’re discussing, so they match the topic of your conversation. The company also says advertisers do not get access to your chats and only receive aggregated reporting (for example, totals like views or clicks, not personal details).

According to OpenAI, ads don’t appear next to sensitive or regulated topics (including health, mental health, and politics), and they won’t appear if a user says—or OpenAI predicts—they are under 18. The company also lists practical limits, such as ads not showing in temporary chats or when you’re logged out.

What to watch next

The latest official update is simply that the test is now live in the US, and OpenAI says it will expand cautiously based on feedback. For travel companies, the key things to watch are whether these placements expand beyond the test, what ad formats are allowed, and whether travel sellers start treating ChatGPT as a paid discovery channel alongside traditional search and metasearch.

Photo by Levart_Photographer on Unsplash