OpenAI tests visual ads in ChatGPT image generation

Engadget reports OpenAI is testing a new, more visual ad format inside ChatGPT, starting later this month. The company announced the test Monday in a blog post. US users will be the first to see the ads, and they'll show up when you use ChatGPT Images to generate a picture.

OpenAI says the ads are clearly labeled and kept separate from the image you're creating, and that advertising won't influence ChatGPT's responses. This follows the text ads the company started showing earlier this year, which appear in a labeled spot below a chat reply with the sponsor's name, logo and a link.

Plus and Pro subscribers won't see the visual ads, and Enterprise customers are exempt too. That leaves free-tier users in the US as the test group. OpenAI says it's starting with a small group of advertisers and plans to try more ad formats down the road.

The company also says safeguards are in place to keep ads away from sensitive topics like personal health and mental wellbeing. So a request for an image about a medical symptom shouldn't bring a sponsorship. A request for a coffee mug or a robot dog is where you're more likely to see the experiment.

If you're on the free plan, expect these ads and treat them like any other sponsored content. If you'd rather skip them, a Plus or Pro subscription removes them, though that's an extra cost. The ads themselves don't change ChatGPT's answers, according to OpenAI, but they do change the experience.

• advertising
• AI
• ChatGPT
• Image Generation
• OpenAI