OpenAI could introduce ads to ChatGPT next year. Internal company documents suggest that OpenAI expects to start monetizing its free user base through ads, despite leadership's past hesitations.

A chart shared by Juan González Villa on X shows OpenAI forecasting a significant new revenue stream from what it describes as "free user monetization." In simple terms: ads could be coming.

The company’s internal projections estimate around $1 billion in revenue from ads in 2026 alone. By 2029, that figure could jump to nearly $25 billion, out of a total projected revenue of $125 billion.

This move marks a potential shift in OpenAI’s business model. OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar said in December that the company was open to new revenue streams but had "no active plans to pursue advertising." 

CEO Sam Altman voiced similar sentiments, calling advertising a “last resort.” Altman said, “I kind of hate ads just as an aesthetic choice,” emphasizing a preference for users paying for services directly. He argued that advertising was necessary to jumpstart the internet but described it as a “momentary industry.”

But projections don’t lie. If OpenAI’s 800 million to 1 billion users continue to grow, the pressure to introduce ads for free users might become too strong to ignore.

Rising revenue targets are reshaping OpenAI’s priorities

Revenue goals of this scale — $125 billion by 2029 and $174 billion by 2030 — show just how seriously OpenAI is thinking about commercial expansion. New products are expected to contribute heavily to this growth, but free user monetization could be a major part of the equation.

And that signals something important for advertisers: if OpenAI follows through, ChatGPT could soon become a massive new channel for digital advertising. Given the amount of time users spend engaging with ChatGPT — whether to write, search, or learn — ads placed carefully could reach users in highly contextual moments.

Still, it’s not yet clear how these ads would be designed. Would they appear between responses? As sidebar placements? As sponsored answers? The documents don’t say. However, the early experiences of OpenAI’s competitors offer some hints.

The company isn’t the first to test ads inside AI products. Perplexity AI, one of its rivals, began testing ads in November 2024. In Perplexity’s case, ads appear as "sponsored follow-up questions.” Google has also integrated ads into its AI Overviews for U.S. users. These ads appear directly within AI summary results.

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