A leak has confirmed that OpenAI is set to roll out an ‘abhorrent’ new feature to the public.
The tech giant behind ChatGPT appears to now be internally testing out ‘ads’ inside the AI bot.
While there are premium options to pay for ChatGPT, the standard version has always been completely free.
However, it seems like OpenAI is planning to replicate the likes of Google Search, which includes targeted ads.
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According to an X user who spotted the update, noted that the ChatGPT Android app 1.2025.329 beta refers to an ‘ads feature’ with ‘bazaar content’, ‘search ad’ and ‘search ads carousel’.
What would ads mean for the future of ChatGPT?
The AI bot is reported to have a whopping 800 million users each week, with a study suggesting that 18 billion messages were being sent every week by July 2025.
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According to OpenAI, ChatGPT receives 2.5 billion prompts every day, with India becoming the country with the biggest user base in the world.
The news has caused a stir online with many people taking to social media to share their own thoughts on the matter.
One user took to Reddit to write: “Holy f***ing what the f***. That first paragraph - they are directly taking advantage of insecurity, perhaps disorder, just like that? Do you have a source for that? That’s f***ing abhorrent.”
Another wrote: “Hosting ADs means it will have 'commercial interests' influencing BIAS in the output responses. It will be even more untrustworthy than it is now and erode any potential value it may have had.”
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A third person commented: “Ads are the value. It’s been billions and they still can’t figure out a profit… worsening an unprofitable service doesn’t matter. But if it drives clicks, we can slap ads on it!”
And a fourth added: “It was just a matter of time. Like any other product born out of pure greed.”
In other AI news, ChatGPT announced the launch of a brand-new ‘group chat’ feature on the platform.
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On the firm’s website, it explained: “Today, we’re beginning to pilot a new experience in a few regions that makes it easy for people to collaborate with each other - and with ChatGPT - in the same conversation. With group chats, you can bring friends, family, or coworkers into a shared space to plan, make decisions, or work through ideas together.
“Whether you’re organizing a group dinner or drafting an outline with coworkers, ChatGPT can help. Group chats are separate from your private conversations, and your personal ChatGPT memory is never shared with anyone in the chat.”