ChatGPT is about to test picture ads while it makes your images

What happened

OpenAI says it will start testing picture ads inside ChatGPT later this month in the U.S. The ads will show up while ChatGPT is making an image for you. OpenAI says they'll be clearly labeled and kept separate from your image. The test starts with a small group of advertisers. OpenAI hasn't said whether people who pay for ChatGPT will see them. About 1.2 billion people use ChatGPT each week, the company says.

What's actually going on

Running AI is expensive. Every answer and every picture uses the big data centers from our phone-price issue. OpenAI already charges for paid plans. Ads are another way to pay the bills.

Why image time? Making a picture takes a few seconds, and you're looking at the screen while you wait. Advertisers can use that moment to show a product, how it's used, or an experience tied to a service, OpenAI says.

OpenAI makes a few promises. Ads won't change ChatGPT's answers. Ads are meant to stay out of sensitive or emotional chats. And the outside companies that check whether ads work won't see your private conversations.

Those outside companies do something called conversion tracking. They help advertisers see whether people who saw an ad later bought the thing. That's normal on websites and social apps. It's newer inside a chat app that people also ask for advice.

In your life

If you use ChatGPT for free, you'll likely see more ads over time. This test is just one spot. We'll tell you when it actually starts.

Be careful about

ChatGPT now recommends products and will also sell ads. Keep track of which is which. Look for the ad label. OpenAI says ads don't change its answers, but you can't check that yourself.

Where to get it

Nothing to do yet. If you don't want ads, wait to see whether paid plans skip them. OpenAI hasn't said.