ChatGPT could stop being that ad-free oasis that many of us have become accustomed to. A new leak reveals that OpenAI is preparing a system of ads on ChatGPTstarting with the Android app betaand some users even claim to have seen the first ad integrated into a real conversation with the chatbot.
According to the international technology press, an analysis of the code of version 1.2025.329 of the application mentions elements such as “search ad”, “ads feature” or “bazaar content”, all of them associated with advertising formats. Added to this is the screenshot of a Peloton ad that would have appeared under a ChatGPT response, suggesting that testing is already being carried out in a real environment, beyond internal testing.
What has been discovered in the ChatGPT app for Android
The developer who has examined the APK describes references to components such as a “search ads carousel” and audience segmentation fields, which points to a future integration of search engine ads, very similar to those we see today when we make a commercial query on Google. The key is that all this is integrated into the ChatGPT interface itself, not in external banners or classic intrusive advertising pop-ups.
At the moment, the filtered chains suggest that the ads would be shown mainly in search queries. product search and recommendationslike when we ask for purchasing ideas or quickly compare products. That is, in situations where ChatGPT acts as a search engine rather than a more casual or creative conversational assistant, although it is easy to imagine that the scope could be expanded if the business model proves profitable.
Why OpenAI wants to put ads (and why now)
Since the service's launch in 2022, OpenAI has lived primarily off ChatGPT Plus subscriptions and charging for the use of its models via API, but keeping these systems up and running is extremely expensive in terms of servers, power, and new developments. Add contextual advertising It would open up an additional source of income without increasing current rates and, on paper, it would better support the massive use of the free version, which is the gateway for millions of users every week.
Additionally, the move fits with a clear industry trend: other AI assistants and search engines have already started mixing generated responses with sponsored results, and it was a matter of time before OpenAI considered something similar; After all, if the product competes with Google as a search tool, it is logical that it adopts part of its business model, whether we like it or not.
What changes for ChatGPT users
If these plans go ahead, it is most likely that the free plan users Be the first to see ads integrated under certain responses, perhaps with tags such as “sponsored content” or “ad” and with product cards similar to those that already appear in some shopping experiences within ChatGPT itself. The big question is to what extent these paid messages will influence the order and content of the recommendations that the assistant offers us.
We will also have to see how privacy and transparency are managed: ChatGPT knows much of the context of what we write and could use it to segment campaigns very precisely, something that excites advertisers but worries more than one regulator. In regions like the European Union, where rules on advertising and intermediation services are quite strict, OpenAI will have to tread carefully if it wants to introduce ads without facing a new legal front.
A ChatGPT with ads, would you accept the deal?
For now there is no official date or confirmed details, but the leaked code combination and the first ads seen in the Android app make it clear that OpenAI is seriously testing this path. If the company manages to keep the ads few, very relevant and well signposted, perhaps many users will agree to live with them in exchange for continuing to have a powerful assistant without paying a single euro a month.
The question is what will happen if that line is crossed and the experience begins to feel more like a showcase than an honest conversation with an impartial tool, because then it would greatly change the relationship of trust that many of us have with the service. What would you do if ads were widespread on ChatGPT: would you pay to remove them, would you look for alternatives or would you simply adapt?