OpenAI Takes ChatGPT Go Global and Confirms Ads Are Coming

OpenAI has officially expanded ChatGPT Go to all markets where ChatGPT is available. It started as a low-cost experiment for Indian users last August at INR 399 per month. And now the same is available in more than 170 countries, including the US, where it costs $8 per month.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT Go sits between free access and full premium features

For comparison, ChatGPT Plus remains priced at $20 per month. Whereas, the Pro tier continues to target power users and businesses at $200 per month. This puts ChatGPT Go firmly in the middle ground between free access and full premium features. At the same time, OpenAI has confirmed that it will begin testing ads in ChatGPT in the US over the coming weeks.

Advertising will appear only for logged-in adult users on the free and Go tiers. Meanwhile Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans will remain ad-free. OpenAI says ads will be clearly labeled and shown separately from chatbot responses, typically at the bottom of answers when there is a relevant sponsored product or service related to the conversation. You’ll also be able to dismiss them or turn off ad personalization if you’re not into that.

This follows months of users calling out strange “suggestions” in ChatGPT replies that felt a lot like ads, even when they had nothing to do with what was being asked. OpenAI previously said those were just awkwardly timed recommendations and not paid placements. But the timing made plenty of people skeptical.

It also didn’t help that even some Pro users felt the overall experience was starting to get a bit messy. Now that ads are being tested openly, it’s clear that some form of promotion was always going to be part of the business model. What do you think? Would you drop your existing subscription (if any) and pay for ChatGPT Go?