US News: OpenAI is quietly rolling out the red carpet for advertisements inside the free version of ChatGPT, and the evidence is now hiding in plain sight.
Developers digging into the latest beta build of the ChatGPT Android app (version 1.2025.329) have uncovered unmistakable references to a full-blown advertising system. Strings such as “search ads carousel,” “sponsored search result,” “bazaar content,” and “ad unit” leave little doubt: OpenAI is building contextual ads that will appear when free users ask for product recommendations, shopping help, or trigger the built-in web search feature.
The approach is deliberately restrained. Unlike intrusive banner ads, these sponsored results are expected to blend naturally into responses that already involve commercial intent, much like Google’s labeled ads at the top of search results. Everyday conversations about weather, coding, or creative writing should remain untouched.
The discoveries come from respected reverse-engineering experts, including Tibor Blaho of AIPRM and independent researcher Mishaal Rahman, who first flagged the code on X. Their findings quickly spread across tech forums and were corroborated by multiple outlets that independently verified the same strings in the beta APK.
Inside OpenAI, the shift has been telegraphed for months. CEO Sam Altman, who once dismissed ads as a “last resort” in 2024 interviews, struck a different tone during the inaugural OpenAI podcast earlier this year. He praised Instagram’s elegant ad integration and hinted that “really good ads” could feel helpful rather than annoying. Sources familiar with internal planning told The Information that the company has modeled billions in potential annual revenue from free-tier monetization.
For context, ChatGPT now boasts roughly 800 million weekly active users, with analysts estimating that 95% rely on the free tier. Current limitations (message caps, slower responses during peak hours, and restricted access to advanced reasoning) already nudge heavy users toward ChatGPT Plus ($20/month) or Pro plans. Ads would give OpenAI a second, far larger revenue lever without forcing millions to pay outright.
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No official launch date has been announced, but the depth of the implementation suggests a rollout could happen within weeks or months. When it arrives, the feature is expected to appear simultaneously on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and the web platform to maintain a consistent experience.
OpenAI declined to comment on the leaked code when reached Monday, but the writing is on the wall: the days of a completely ad-free ChatGPT for non-paying users are numbered.
