OpenAI Testing Ads in ChatGPT: What is AI Advertising?

When news broke that OpenAI was testing ads, ChatGPT was experimenting with ads and then quietly pulled back, the reaction was immediate and unusually intense. We see ads every day. We tolerate them. We scroll past them without thinking. But this time, the reaction suggested something had crossed an invisible line

Since then, that early experiment has evolved. As of early 2026, ads are now actively being tested inside ChatGPT in the US, shifting the conversation from speculation to reality.

From the very first signs of testing, the reaction was immediate. Hot takes followed. Panic posts. Excitement in some corners. A flood of “what in the bot is going on” commentary, with bot suddenly doing the rounds as a not-so-affectionate label for AI. Less technical term, more side-eye.

But the real story was never about ads.

It was about trust.

And more importantly, what this moment reveals about the future of paid media, the platforms we rely on, and how brands earn attention in environments that were never designed to sell in the first place.

Yes, ChatGPT Tested Ads. Then It Didn’t.

As ChatGPT’s usage exploded, OpenAI began exploring long-term monetisation options beyond subscriptions and enterprise licences in late 2025. Advertising was one of several models being discussed publicly and tested conceptually, alongside partnerships and premium features.

This was not a full ad rollout. What users began noticing instead were small, clearly marked promotional elements appearing in limited areas of the experience. Screenshots circulated online showing what looked like early banner-style placements promoting products or services. They were early signals that advertising could become part of the ecosystem in the future, potentially through clearly marked placements or separate surfaces.

ChatGPT had positioned itself as a neutral, assistive tool. Many people use it for problem-solving, personal guidance, and sensitive conversations. For a period of time, some users even treat it as a form of emotional support. The idea that commercial incentives could exist anywhere near that space immediately raised questions about bias, trust, and intent.

They paused any movement toward ads because the cost to trust to credibility outweighed the short-term revenue opportunity. Even the perception that answers could be influenced by payment was enough to undermine confidence in the product.

Why Ads Inside AI Feel Different

“People have a very high degree of trust in ChatGPT, which is interesting, because AI hallucinates. It should be the tech that you don’t trust that much. I think part of that is if you compare us to social media or web search, you can kind of tell that you’re being monetised”

– Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO.

Part of what makes AI feel different is the level of trust people instinctively place in it, even when they understand, intellectually, that the technology is imperfect. That trust is less about accuracy and more about intent. Compared to social media feeds or search results, the experience feels less overtly transactional, which makes any hint of monetisation feel more noticeable. It is a tension that even the people building these systems have openly acknowledged.

They feel like a layer of intelligence working with you, not competing for you. For years, we have accepted the unspoken trade-off of free platforms. If you are not paying for the product, then you are the product. Your attention, behaviour, and data are what is being sold.

When someone opens an AI tool, they are not browsing or scrolling, they are usually trying to solve something. They expect clarity and direction, and while people understand that advertising exists almost everywhere else in daily life, that expectation does not carry over here. Billboards, radio spots, phone ads, and inbox promotions are familiar trade-offs, but AI feels like a different kind of space, one that is meant to assist rather than persuade. Because of that, even subtle commercial intrusion can feel out of place.

That is why ads in this context do not register as placements, they register as recommendations with bias. The moment users begin to question whether guidance exists because it is helpful or because it is paid for, the relationship changes.

This concern has already been explored in the stories we reward. In a recent season of Black Mirror, the Common People episode follows a woman kept alive by a subscription-based brain implant. The technology helps her survive, but only up to a point. If she does not upgrade and pay more, the system begins inserting ads directly into her speech. In ordinary conversations, during emotional moments, even in crisis, she involuntarily voices brand messages.

The horror of the episode is not the technology. It is the business model. Assistance becomes conditional. Support becomes a surface for monetisation. The line between help and influence disappears.

It resonates because it mirrors a real fear. Once guidance is monetised, trust becomes fragile. The moment users start questioning why a recommendation exists, the relationship starts to fail.

AI sits closer to that line than any platform before it.

Platform Evolution and the Cost of Monetisation

Every platform that reaches scale eventually faces the same pressure. Infrastructure is expensive. Growth demands revenue. Monetisation becomes unavoidable.

Search navigated this by separating results from ads. Social did it by embedding promotion into the feed. The video followed a similar path.

AI platforms are now approaching that same decision point, but with a crucial difference. Their value is built on perceived objectivity. The moment that objectivity is questioned, the core product feels compromised.

The brief appearance and withdrawal of ads inside ChatGPT was not a failure. It was a test. And the reaction to that test offered a clear signal.

People are far less tolerant of advertising when it appears inside tools they rely on for judgement rather than discovery.

When Paid Media Becomes the Problem?

Most people accept that ads are part of the internet. We expect them to exist, we know where they usually show up, and most of the time we scroll past without thinking twice.

Paid media starts to work against a brand when it loses connection to intent and context. This typically shows up when advertising becomes:

• Excessive without purpose
  Ads appear everywhere simply because the budget allows it, not because the moment makes sense.
  
• Misaligned with real behaviour
  Messaging reaches people whose actions, spending patterns, or online behaviour clearly signal low relevance.
  
• Over-reliant on repetition
  Frequency is used to force familiarity instead of earning it, which quickly wears thin.
  
• Detached from the user’s goal
  Ads interrupt problem-solving moments rather than supporting them.
  
• Driven by reach instead of judgement
  Scale is prioritised over selectivity, resulting in visibility without meaning.
  
• Pushing conversion before credibility
  Sales pressure shows up before trust has had a chance to form.
  

This becomes especially risky in intent-led environments like search and AI-driven tools. People arrive with a purpose. When advertising ignores that purpose, it feels careless rather than helpful.

When brands focus on being seen everywhere instead of being relevant somewhere, credibility starts to slip.

And once credibility erodes, paid media stops amplifying the brand and starts diluting it.

The Future of Ads

Paid media isn’t disappearing. But it is being reshaped.

The next era of advertising will be:

• More selective
• More scrutinised
• More dependent on strong brand foundations

We have seen this pattern before, long before digital media took over. Not every brand was suited to television. Some discovered that TV delivered reach but little return, while radio worked far better because it matched how and when their audience actually listened. In print, certain newspaper sections commanded higher rates not because they were flashy, but because the context mattered. Business pages, property listings, or weekend supplements carried more weight than cheaper placements elsewhere, simply because the audience and intent were aligned.

The lesson was never about choosing the biggest platform or the lowest cost option. It was about choosing the right environment. That same principle is resurfacing now.

The future looks like:

• Fewer placements
  Brands will show up in fewer places, but with more intention. Instead of trying to be everywhere, advertising will focus on moments and environments where attention actually makes sense. Less spread, more signal.
  
• Higher expectations
  Ads will need to earn their place. Creative, messaging, and timing will be judged more critically by both platforms and users. Being “good enough” will no longer be enough.
  
• Greater accountability
  Performance will be harder to hide behind volume. Weak creative, unclear value, or misaligned targeting will show up faster in results. Advertising will be expected to justify its presence, not just its spend.
  

AI accelerates this shift by making relevance unavoidable. When systems understand context, behaviour, and intent more deeply, advertising that lacks purpose becomes more visible, not less.

Paid media still works. But it no longer works by default. The future looks like fewer placements, higher expectations, and greater accountability.

At the same time, tolerance for spammy creatives, empty claims, and “because we can” media buying will continue to shrink.

AI accelerates this shift.

AI Changes the Rules

AI systems are built to respond to relevance rather than noise. They prioritise messages that are clear, consistent, and aligned with what a person is trying to do in that moment. Budget and volume on their own no longer carry the weight they once did.

In this environment, paid media works best when it reinforces something already credible and well-defined. When the underlying message is strong, advertising extends its reach and impact.

When it is not, additional spending simply adds to the noise. That distinction is becoming increasingly important as AI plays a larger role in how attention is earned and distributed.

The Real Lesson to Take Forward

The brief moment where ChatGPT tested advertising was not a misstep, it was a signal. A signal that platforms will continue to evolve, that monetisation will always follow scale, and that trust is far more fragile than most strategies account for. Brands that endure are the ones that understand when to speak and when to step back.

Paid media is not a silver bullet, but avoiding it entirely is not the answer either. What matters is intent. The decision to use paid media should come from strategy, not urgency.

As platforms, AI, and advertising continue to shift, the starting point should never be placements or budgets. It should be value, relevance, and trust. That is where sustainable growth is built.

Why EXPAND Looks at This Differently

Moments like the ChatGPT ads debate or Meta’s Andromeda shift are not outliers. They are signals. Signals that platforms are changing faster, expectations are tightening, and familiar playbooks are losing their edge.

At EXPAND, we do not chase updates or overreact to headlines. We spend our time understanding how platforms behave beneath the surface, how intent is being interpreted, and how trust is being earned or lost in real time. That perspective shapes how we approach paid media, creative, and strategy as a whole.

We believe paid media works best when it is part of a wider system, not a standalone fix. One that respects context, aligns with user intent, and is supported by a customer journey that actually delivers on the promise being made.

If your advertising feels harder than it used to, or less predictable than it should be, it is rarely because you need to spend more. It is usually because the rules have shifted.

That is where we help. If you’re seeking clarity with your reporting, reach out to us for a no-hassle discovery call.