OpenAI confirmed on Monday that ChatGPT is getting a new place for advertising: the image generator. A test starts later this month in the United States, with a small first group of advertisers.
The plan is to show visual ads while your image is being created. According to OpenAI, they will feature product images, ideas for how to use something, and related experiences tied to what you’re making.
How the ads will show up
OpenAI says the ads will be clearly labeled and kept separate from the image being generated. It also says advertising does not influence the answers ChatGPT gives.
An earlier test helps explain the logic. Ads appeared below chatbot replies, such as a grocery delivery ad under a recipe suggestion. Now the same idea reaches images. Ask for a styled living room and you might see furniture or decor ads next to it.
That living room is our own illustration of how the format could work. OpenAI describes the goal as helping people imagine how products and services could fit into their lives.
Who sees ads and who doesn’t
According to Canaltech, people on the free and Go plans have seen ads in ChatGPT since August. Subscribers on Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu don’t get them.
OpenAI also said ads won’t appear in sensitive conversations about personal health or mental wellbeing, per Engadget’s coverage.
What advertisers get
Per Canaltech, advertisers receive only aggregated performance data. User conversations aren’t shared with them, and ChatGPT’s answers work independently from the ad system.
How we got here
Ads in ChatGPT started in February 2026 in the US, as sponsored text sections. They later expanded to Brazil, the UK, Mexico, Japan and South Korea. In August, 31 European countries were added, according to Canaltech.
OpenAI’s argument is that ChatGPT reaches 1.2 billion people a week and ads help fund free or lower-cost versions of the service. The company also says early results show a lower cost to acquire customers and more first-time customers for brands.
That last claim comes from OpenAI itself and isn’t an independent measurement.
Will it reach you?
OpenAI hasn’t said when the image-ad format will expand beyond the US. If you’re on a paid plan, nothing changes. If you use the free tier, expect more ads over time, since OpenAI says it plans to try other formats too.
On the other side of the market, Google is also tightening its free tier, as we covered in Gemini free tier going Flash-Lite only. To understand what is under the hood of these tools, read our primer on what a language model is and why it sometimes makes things up.
