OpenAI's AI chatbot ChatGPT may no longer offer a completely clean and ad-free experience in the future. According to a post on "X" by Tibor Blaho, the chief engineer of the ChatGPT add-on tool AIPRM, the latest beta test version (v1.2025.329) of the ChatGPT app on the Android platform contains code strings that appear to be highly related to ad placement.
The Beta version shows the strings "AdTarget" and "SearchAd".
The code contains descriptive terms such as "AdTarget," "BazaarContent," and "SearchAd," indicating that OpenAI is making technical preparations to introduce an advertising mechanism to ChatGPT.
While it's common for free services to monetize through advertising (such as Google Search), some believe that ChatGPT's introduction of advertising could "shake up the internet economy."
ChatGPT Android app 1.2025.329 beta includes new references to an "ads feature" with "bazaar content", "search ad" and "search ads carousel" pic.twitter.com/BdHOJIQHmA
— Tibor Blaho (@btibor91) November 29, 2025
Better than Google understands you? AI-powered personalized advertising has enormous potential.
The reason is that, through conversational interaction, ChatGPT may be able to grasp users' deeper and more detailed usage intentions and preferences than Google search.
This means that OpenAI has a greater chance to generate highly accurate personalized ads from conversations, or, like Google Search, naturally insert sponsored content into search results or answers, directly guiding users to buy the products they "really want".
Sam Altman once pointed out: Not entirely against advertising
In fact, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had already hinted in an interview in June that he was "not inherently against" the advertising model, but emphasized that it must be handled with caution.
With OpenAI facing recent challengesHigh operating costs and increasingly fierce market competitionTurning to advertising monetization seems to have become one of the business strategies that this AI company has to consider.
