Advertisement is already in the ChatGPT code when it appears in your chat in 2026

📱 This article began as an analysis of a leak: on November 29–30, 2025, lines of code for SearchAd and SearchAdsCarousel were found in a beta version of the ChatGPT Android app (version 1.2025.329). At the time, these were just traces in the code. Today, in October 2026, it's a reality: 🎯 as of February 9, 2026, OpenAI has been displaying ads in ChatGPT, initially in the US, then in dozens of countries, including from August 24 in 31 European markets. ✅ Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu are ad-free, while the free tier, Free, and the inexpensive Go tier see ads. 🆕 On October 5, OpenAI announced a new format – visual ads alongside images generated by ChatGPT.

Updated: October 2026. I have rewritten the article: the predictions from the first version have been replaced by facts.

Article Contents: 📰

• From lines of code to a real launch: timeline 🕵️‍♂️
• How ads work in ChatGPT now 💰
• How to distinguish ads from regular responses 🤔
• How ChatGPT collects user data 🎯
• Community reaction: anger, memes, and "enshittification" 🤬
• What Sam Altman and the OpenAI team say 🗣️
• Comparison with competitors who already show ads 🆚
• Impact on users, SEO, and marketers 📈
• What to do right now (October 2026) 🛠️
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ❓
• Conclusions: what's next 🔮

🔍 From lines of code to a real launch: timeline

🕵️ Background: what was found in the code

📅 On November 29, 2025, engineer Tibor Blaho (@btibor91), lead engineer at AIPRM (a developer of extensions for ChatGPT and Claude), analyzed a beta version of ChatGPT for Android (1.2025.329) and published screenshots with new lines of code. His post quickly gained millions of views and sparked a wave of discussion in the tech community.

👨‍💻 Tibor is a well-known reverse engineer: he regularly analyzes APK files of OpenAI and Anthropic app updates to find hidden features. In a subsequent post, he clarified that he compared the APK with a previous version, and these lines appeared in it for the first time.

💻 Here's what was in the code:

• 🎯 ads feature — a general function for ad elements in the app
• 🔍 search ad — sponsored ads in search responses
• 🔄 search ads carousel — a horizontal ad carousel
• 🛍️ bazaar content — marketplace content, a hint at shopping integration
• 🎯 AdTargetInfo — targeting parameters

📢 The discovery was picked up by Mashable, Onlíner, BleepingComputer, Search Engine Land, TestingCatalog, and Red Hot Cyber, and was discussed on Reddit (r/singularity) in a dedicated thread. At the time, it was just a signal, and I wrote directly that beta code often tests ideas that don't make it to release. This time, it did.

📅 What happened next

🔗 Sources: Notebookcheck, Qwestyon (update timeline), Kurs.com.ua on Europe, IndexLab (country table), TechCrunch on visual ads.

🎯 What from my 2025 prediction was confirmed, and what wasn't

In the first version of the article, I made predictions. I'm honestly checking them against the facts:

💡 The conclusion is simple: I guessed the direction and timing, but the details of the mechanics (technology, monetization, formats) turned out to be different. That's why the article now only contains what can already be verified.

🎯 How ads work in ChatGPT now

👀 Who sees ads

• ✅ See ads: adult logged-in users of the Free and Go tiers. Go costs $8 per month, so a paid tier doesn't guarantee an ad-free experience
• 🚫 Do not see ads: Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu subscribers; temporary chats also have no ads

🔗 Sources: MACCUS, LumiChats.

🔍 Where and when ads appear

In 2025, I wrote that ads would only appear for "commercial queries." The reality is broader: OpenAI lists trip planning, choosing business software, buying home furniture, understanding a concept, and starting a new hobby as scenarios. This means ads are selected based on the conversation topic, not just the intent to buy. For advertisers, this is described as targeting based on conversation context, not just keywords.

🔗 Sources: Search Engine Watch, Spilno Agency.

Examples of topics where ads are quite likely:

• 🏨 "Where to go for New Year's" – booking service offers
• 💻 "What laptop to buy under $1500" – store and brand offers
• 🛋️ "What to furnish the living room with" – furniture brands
• 🧰 "Which CRM to choose for a small team" – SaaS services

⚠️ These are my examples of topics, not an official list of advertisers.

📱 Ad formats

1. 🏷️ Sponsored block below the response. A separate card marked Sponsored, appearing after the main ChatGPT response. This is the main format today.
2. 🖼️ Visual ads alongside generated images. Announced on October 5, 2026. The test starts later this month for Free and Go, currently only in the US and with a limited group of advertisers. OpenAI says these ads will be clearly marked, separate from the image itself, and will not affect responses.

🔍 Product carousels and in-text recommendations, which I predicted in 2025, are not featured in the launch descriptions: ads are presented as a separate block, not within the response.

🔗 Sources: TechCrunch, The Star, Meduza.

💼 How ads are purchased

For businesses, there is the OpenAI Ads Manager: campaigns, budgets, CPC and CPM rates, as well as conversion rates. There's a pixel and Conversions API for measuring results, and in October, OpenAI added third-party measurement and brand safety partners (Haus, Measured, WorkMagic, DoubleVerify, Integral Ad Science). This is already a full-fledged advertising platform, not an experiment.

🔗 Sources: Flyweel, TechCrunch.

🌍 Geography

The launch was in the US, followed by Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Japan, South Korea, and other markets. On August 24, 2026, ads reached 31 European markets, including Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Austria. OpenAI publishes the current list of countries in the Help Center on the Ads Manager Availability page: check it before drawing conclusions about your country.

🛡️ What OpenAI promises regarding privacy

The company states that advertisers do not get access to users' private conversations, and ads do not affect the chatbot's responses. In Europe, ads were initially shown without personalization to comply with GDPR. More on data in section 4.

🔍 How to distinguish ads from regular responses

In the first version of the article, this section consisted of assumptions: OpenAI hadn't shown anything then. Now there are real ads, so I'm writing what's known and separately what to check yourself.

✅ Quick check: is it an ad

• 🏷️ If it has the Sponsored label – it's an ad
• 📦 The block is visually separate from the response, and the response text is separate, without embedded brands
• 🔗 A button or link leads to the advertiser's website
• 🔄 If the conversation changes and the block disappears – it was tied to the conversation topic, not the response itself

⚖️ Why distinction is important

• 🧠 In OpenAI focus groups, as reported, users confused recommendations with ads even before the launch
• 📜 Ads in Europe fall under regulatory requirements for clear labeling
• 🔎 Therefore, the Sponsored label is the main indicator, and it's worth checking every time

💡 Section conclusion: the difference between a response and an ad is currently determined by the interface: a separate block and a label. If OpenAI changes the format (and visual ads already show this), I will update this section.

🛡️ What Data ChatGPT Uses for Advertising and How to Control It

⚠️ What has changed compared to the first version of the article. In 2025, I quoted OpenAI's privacy policy, which stated that the company does not process data for targeted advertising, and predicted that this might change. The prediction was only partially confirmed: ads are selected based on the context of the conversation, and with personalization enabled, other data may also be involved in the selection. In Europe, OpenAI updated its European privacy policy before the launch of advertising.

📋 What is taken into account when selecting ads

• 💬 Current conversation. The basis of contextual advertising. It works even when personalization is turned off
• 🧠 Past chats and memory. Only considered when personalization is enabled
• 📊 Ad history and topics related to your interests. Also only when personalization is enabled
• 📍 Additional signals: according to German media reports, this includes approximate location and device type

🔗 Sources: OpenAI Help Center: Ads in ChatGPT, t3n.

🚫 Where ads will not appear

• 🔞 For users whom ChatGPT considers minors
• 🏥 Near sensitive or regulated topics, such as health and politics (based on US launch description)
• 🕶️ In temporary chats
• 💎 On Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu plans

🔗 Sources: TechRadar, MACCUS.

🛡️ OpenAI also states that advertisers do not get access to your private conversations. This is the company's statement; I have not found any independent verification, so take it as such.

🇪🇺 Separately about Europe

From August 24, ads in Europe are shown only based on the current conversation, without personalization. However, on October 2, 2026, data protection authorities in Hamburg and Berlin warned that OpenAI plans personalized advertising based on profiles from chats, memory, and usage data. The company has not announced launch dates in Europe. According to reports, such advertising in the EU requires user consent, and refusal does not remove the ads themselves: you will continue to see contextual ads. Hamburg and Berlin advise against agreeing to personalization.

🔗 Sources: Notebookcheck, MLex (Hamburg's statement).

🛠️ How to control ads right now

Find the settings in Settings → Ads controls. The names of the items may vary depending on the platform and country; in some guides, this section is referred to as Data Controls.

💡 Turning off personalization does not remove ads: it only changes how they are selected. You can only truly remove ads through Ads-Free, a paid plan, or temporary chats.

⚠️ It was unclear in the initial announcements about the launch whether Ads-Free is available to Go plan users. Check your account settings.

🔗 Sources: OpenAI Help Center, The Standard, TechZoom.

🧩 General privacy settings

Separately from advertising, it's worth reviewing memory and chat usage for model training: in Data Controls, there's a "Improve the model for everyone" toggle, and in memory settings, you can view and delete saved data. Requests for data access or deletion are submitted through privacy.openai.com. OpenAI changes menu item names, so refer to the current Help Center.

⚖️ My conclusion on risks

A chat with AI often contains more personal information than a search query: plans, health, finances, relationships. Therefore, the issue is not the existence of ads itself, but whether conversation history is used for their selection. Keep this in mind when enabling personalization and memory. My practical advice: stick to contextual ads by default, and use temporary chats for sensitive topics.

📢 Community reaction: from leaks to the Super Bowl

🔥 November 2025: code leak

Tibor Blaho's discovery quickly became a topic in the tech community: "enshittification" (gradual deterioration of a product for profit), privacy, and the shift to alternatives were discussed on social media and Reddit. In this version of the article, I have removed percentages and specific tweets from the first draft: there was no reliable method for calculating sentiment.

📅 January–February 2026: official announcement

When OpenAI officially launched the test, two main topics emerged. First: the paid Go plan ($8/month) also shows ads, which some users perceived as double payment. Second: in response to the launch, sharp comments like "ChatGPT is done" appeared on Reddit, which TechRadar quoted. At the same time, the company explained its decision by the desire to maintain free and affordable access.

🔗 Sources: TechRadar.

🏈 February 2026: Super Bowl

The most high-profile episode: Anthropic released a series of ads for the Super Bowl with the slogan that ads are coming to AI, "but not to Claude," and simultaneously published an explanation of its position. Sam Altman responded with a long post on X: he admitted the ads were funny but called them dishonest because they depicted scenarios that OpenAI, according to him, would never implement. Critics reminded him that he himself had previously spoken of advertising as a last resort.

⚖️ For objectivity: Anthropic's main argument boils down to trust in a chatbot as a space for reflection, while OpenAI's main argument is about accessibility: advertising should fund free tiers for a huge audience. Both sides are not impartial, so evaluate their words considering their business interests.

🔗 Sources: Tom's Guide, Fortune, eWeek.

🇪🇺 Autumn 2026: regulators and business

After the launch in Europe, the main topic became not memes, but regulators: Hamburg and Berlin warned on October 2 about personalized advertising based on chats (more details in section 4). On the other hand, businesses are actively adopting advertising: according to OpenAI, in August it already had tens of thousands of advertisers, and in October it added third-party measurement partners.

🎙️ What Sam Altman and the OpenAI team say

🔄 From "last resort" to advertising platform

In 2024, Altman publicly called AI advertising something he disliked and considered it a "last resort" for the business model. On January 16, 2026, OpenAI announced an ad test and published its principles, and on February 9, the rollout began. By October, ads were already running in dozens of countries.

📜 Advertising principles stated by OpenAI

• 🏷️ Ads are clearly marked and separated from responses; in the US, they are shown at the bottom of the response
• 🧠 Ads do not affect ChatGPT's responses
• 🔒 Advertisers do not get access to private conversations
• 🔞 Ads are not shown to minors, and sensitive topics are avoided
• 🆓 A free ad-free option is retained, but with lower limits

🔗 Sources: Silicon UK, OpenAI Help Center, TechRadar.

🗣️ Altman's argument: access is more important

Explaining the decision, Altman emphasized the thesis "access creates agency": ChatGPT's free audience is much larger than that of its competitors, so, according to his logic, the company is solving a different problem than paid services. He also reminded that Plus and Pro subscribers do not see ads.

🔗 Source: Communicate Online.

🆚 What was expected and what happened

🆚 Comparison with Competitors Already Showing Ads

🏃‍♂️ In the first version, I wrote that OpenAI was lagging behind its competitors. By October 2026, the picture had become more complex: advertising in AI had not become a universal norm. Some players are integrating it into search, while others have consciously opted out. Here's what has been confirmed.

🔗 Sources: Lapis, Digital Applied, Astiva, 9to5Google, HyperFX.

📈 What This Means

• 🔀 The market has split into two camps: advertising as a way to make free access widespread (OpenAI, Google in search) and "clean" products monetized through subscriptions (Anthropic, reportedly Perplexity).
• 🆓 For the user, the difference is simple: free ChatGPT has ads, while some competitors do not, and this is part of choosing a tool.
• ⏳ Statuses change rapidly, so check the official service pages before making a decision.

📈 Impact on Users, SEO, and Marketers

👥 For Regular Users

• 🏷️ The free version now includes ads, and this also applies to the Go plan ($8).
• 📊 According to SE Ranking's analysis (50,006 commercial queries collected on July 23, 2026), a sponsored block appeared in approximately 26% of commercial responses.
• 🧭 Ads are separated from the response text but take up space below it, pushing everything else down.
• 🔧 Control: Ads controls, disabling personalization, Ads-Free mode, or a paid plan (details in section 4).

🔗 Source: Cicéro on SE Ranking's research.

💼 For Businesses and Marketers

• 💰 Ads Manager is open for self-service campaigns, with payment per click and impression. Reports indicate that initially, a minimum budget of $200,000 was required for pilots, then it was reduced to $50,000, and later abolished. The estimated starting price was around $60 per 1000 impressions; prices may vary now.
• 🌍 Businesses from many EU countries can purchase ads independently starting August 31, 2026. For other countries, check the list in the OpenAI Help Center.
• 📏 Since October, third-party measurement partners (Haus, Measured, WorkMagic) and brand suitability evaluators (DoubleVerify, Integral Ad Science) have been available.

🔗 Sources: MACCUS, Communicate Online, TechCrunch.

🔎 What Ads Do to Organic Visibility

In the first version, I predicted that organic traffic from ChatGPT would drop by 10–25%. I haven't found reliable data to confirm this, so I'm removing the prediction. Here's what is known:

• 🧱 Ads and organic responses are separate layers. OpenAI states that ads do not affect responses. There are currently no public studies to refute this.
• 🔗 Paid placements do not buy citations. According to SE Ranking's analysis, the exact advertised URL is cited in the response text in only 0.09% of cases.
• 📉 Organic citations fluctuated in early 2026: AirOps recorded a drop in citations for branded queries, followed by a recovery. Analysts attribute this primarily to model updates, not ads.
• 🏷️ The illusion of "ads boosting organic." Some advertisers see "organic" traffic from ChatGPT increasing while their campaign is running. This is most likely uncategorized ad clicks that fall into the same chatgpt.com category. Therefore, tag ad links with UTM parameters.

🔗 Sources: Geoptimizer, Refine, The State of Brand.

⚠️ Some of this data comes from SEO agencies and analytics companies that sell GEO services themselves, so the figures should be treated as a guideline rather than a final conclusion.

🎯 My Conclusion for SEO and Content

What I called "SEO 2.0" in 2025 turned out to be the usual division into organic and paid. Advertising in ChatGPT does not replace the work on content authority, as the response is generated by the model regardless of who paid for the block below it. However, visibility within this response should now be measured separately from Google.

🛠️ What to Do Right Now (October 2026)

👤 If You Use ChatGPT

1. 🔎 Go to Settings → Ads controls and see what's enabled.
2. 🔒 Turn off Personalize ads and the use of past chats and memory for advertising if you don't want your conversation history to influence ad selection.
3. 🕶️ For sensitive topics, use temporary chat: there are no ads in it.
4. 🆓 Want free without ads: use Ads-Free mode on the Free plan, but with lower limits and without some features, including image generation.
5. 💎 Use it daily: Plus or Pro without ads, but compare this to your actual needs.

🔄 Alternatives

• 🧠 Claude: Anthropic has committed not to show ads; there is a free plan with limitations.
• ♊ Gemini (app): according to Google, there are no ads, but Google's AI search functions do contain ads.
• 🔒 Local models (e.g., open models via Ollama): complete privacy and no ads, but requires your own hardware.

⚠️ Alternative statuses change, so check the service's current policy before switching.

💼 If You Are a Website Owner or Marketer

1. 📌 Tag all ad traffic from ChatGPT with UTM parameters to avoid mixing it with organic traffic.
2. 📏 Measure organic visibility: run a set of your target queries and record mentions and citations in ChatGPT and other AI systems.
3. 🧱 Work on the foundation: clear answers at the beginning of pages, structured data, language versions, speed, and links to original sources.
4. 🧪 Consider advertising in ChatGPT as an experiment on top of organic work, not as a replacement for it.
5. 🌍 Before launching a campaign, check the OpenAI Help Center to see if your country is available for advertising and payment.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

📢 Is there advertising in ChatGPT now?

Yes. Since February 9, 2026, OpenAI has been showing ads in ChatGPT, initially in the US, then in dozens of countries, including 31 European markets from August 24.

👀 Who sees the ads?

Adult logged-in users of the Free and Go plans. Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu do not see ads, nor do users whom ChatGPT considers minors.

🇺🇦 Are ads shown in Ukraine?

I haven't found direct confirmation for Ukraine. OpenAI publishes the current list of countries in the Help Center on the Ads Manager Availability page, so refer to that.

🏷️ What does the advertising look like?

It's a separate block labeled Sponsored below the response. Since October 2026, OpenAI has also been testing visual ads alongside generated images (initially in the US).

🧠 Does advertising affect ChatGPT's responses?

OpenAI states that it does not, and that advertisers do not see your private conversations. I haven't found independent studies to refute this, but it's also not possible to confirm the statement externally yet.

🔒 If personalization is turned off, will the ads disappear?

No. Ads will remain, but they will be selected based only on the current conversation, without using other chats or ad history.

🆓 How to remove ads for free?

On the Free plan, you can switch to Ads-Free mode (with lower limits and without some features) or use temporary chats. The paid Plus or Pro plan offers complete ad removal with full functionality.

🧠 Are there ads in Claude and Gemini?

Anthropic has committed not to add ads to Claude. In the Gemini app, according to Google, there are no ads, but ads are present in Google's AI search (AI Overviews, AI Mode).

🎯 Conclusions: What's Next

In November 2025, I wrote that advertising in ChatGPT was no longer a question of "if" but "when." Now we know when: three months after the leak, in February 2026. Advertising then rolled out quickly: US, a few more English-speaking countries, Europe in August, over sixty countries by the end of September, and in early October, a new visual format.

📌 Key Takeaways

• 🧾 Ads are available on Free and Go, while paid plans Plus and above do not show them.
• 🏷️ They are separate from the response and labeled, but they take up space in the interface and use conversation context.
• 🔒 You can limit personalization but not remove ads if you remain on the free plan with full functionality.
• 🔎 For SEO, this is a separate paid layer: it does not buy a mention in the response, so it does not replace work on content and visibility.

🔮 What to Watch Next

• 🇪🇺 Will OpenAI launch personalized ads in Europe and how will regulators react after warnings from Hamburg and Berlin?
• 🖼️ How will visual advertising work after the US test launch?
• 📈 Will independent studies on the impact of advertising on responses and citations emerge?
• ⚖️ Will current free competitors remain "ad-free," or will the market follow OpenAI's lead?

💬 These are observations, not predictions: in 2025, my specific numbers and formats didn't materialize, so this time I'm limiting myself to a list of things to watch. I will update this article as new facts emerge.

📚 Recommended Reading

• 🔍 Zero Clicks: How AI Overviews Kill SEO Traffic
• 🤖 Google AdSense vs Journey by Mediavine: What to Choose for Your Website
• ✍️ AI Content: Why 87% Are Banned and How to Write for ChatGPT/Gemini