A fresh leak from a recent Android beta build indicates that OpenAI is gearing up to serve ads inside ChatGPT, a move that could redefine how the world’s most popular AI assistant gets funded—and how users experience it.
What the Android beta leak reveals about ChatGPT ads
Tibor Blaho, a software engineer who surfaces early product signals, noticed new code references in the ChatGPT Android app to an “ads feature,” including strings like “search ad,” “search ads carousel” and “bazaar content.” Although these references are no guarantee of a public launch, they usually suggest internal testing around ad formats and placement.
The language suggests several surfaces: a single sponsored slot against the query, a scrollable carousel and potentially a marketplace-style content unit. It’s unclear how much of this has actually been enabled for users, but the scaffolding indicates that it lines up with how giant platforms quietly stage A/B tests before broader launches.
Why OpenAI might shift to ads for ChatGPT monetization
OpenAI has so far relied on subscription revenue (with ChatGPT Plus) and API licensing to pay for its rapid enlargement. But inference at scale is costly, and analysts have continually observed that compute expenses are a brake on profitability broadly in the AI business. Ads would become a third revenue stream without having to raise prices on the free tier.
The experience of sometimes ignoring or being unresponsive to potential and harm-limited notification could, in OpenAI’s model, arise from the same central balance of contrasting forces that can cause us to engage with advertising despite its targeting. The audience size is just big enough to have some meaningful demand from brands, especially when it comes to high-intent queries, and with ChatGPT having more than 100 million weekly active users if OpenAI’s own disclosures are accurate.
The broad market is already sniffing around such levels. Microsoft’s Copilot has displayed sponsored links in some responses. Perplexity introduced sponsored results. Google is still experimenting with ads in the AI Overviews experience. In other words, AI-assisted interfaces like this are converging on a well-worn model: search-style intent combined with ads, mediated by generative answers.
How ads might work inside ChatGPT and likely formats
Leaked strings hint at a few possible formats: a labeled sponsored unit that appears near the top of an answer, multiple advertisers in a carousel format and a marketplace tile (“bazaar content”) to spotlight partner content or offers. These might logically pop up when people are in carrying out a commercial task — say, comparing products, planning travel or seeking local services — not unlike ads in traditional search results.
Expect heavy emphasis on relevance. You might request noise-cancelling headphones, for example, and see a sponsored product card alongside the editorial-style summary of the model. A local services ad could flank the recommended steps when you request a contractor checklist. Clear labeling and consistent positioning will be paramount for not turning into a muddle what is created content vs. paid placement.
The trust and compliance hurdles of ads in ChatGPT
Integrating ads into conversational responses raises new trust issues. Users trust a PA to be neutral, and the introduction of sponsored slots somehow prejudices neutrality unless disclosures are unmissable and targeting stays away from controversial categories. The federal government has long warned technology companies that “native” ads must be clearly marked. In the EU, the Digital Services Act raises transparency obligations related to ad labeling and targeting logic.
There is also a model quality axis: if an answer mistakenly boosts a claim from an advertiser — even by accident — liability and brand safety considerations arise. Expect guardrails in the form of more robust sponsored labeling, advertisers getting hit by a harder stick, and maybe even an auditable ads library — similar to the measures search platforms put in place over the past decade.
What to watch next as OpenAI tests advertising in ChatGPT
If OpenAI follows through, early tests will focus on the free tier with disclosures above or within the response block and limits on ad density. Signals to watch for: If Plus users see an ad-free experience; how OpenAI defines and separates paid content; if ads are only present in “search” or browsing contexts versus broader types of chat.
There’s an obvious draw for advertisers: high-intent questions at the moment of decision. For users, the stakes are clarity and agency. The leak does not mean a launch is imminent — but it’s the biggest signal so far that ChatGPT could soon smell more like search (and come with sponsored results) delivered at conversation pace.
