Sam Altman’s surprise announcement about ChatGPT ads has users stunned

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has hinted at introducing ads on ChatGPT, a surprising shift after years of insisting the AI assistant should remain free of the influence of traditional advertising models.

In a recent interview, Altman explained that his long-term vision for ChatGPT is to become a “deeply trusted, user-aligned assistant,” not a platform that sneaks in hotel placements or restaurant recommendations just because advertisers paid for visibility.

He pointed to Google as an example of what he hopes to avoid, arguing that search engines rely on incentives that “don’t always work in the user’s best interest.”

Altman noted that Google’s ad-driven ecosystem often creates scenarios where ranking decisions prioritise revenue, not quality, something he believes undermines trust.

However, despite his skepticism, Altman admitted he’s open to certain forms of advertising, provided they don’t influence ChatGPT’s recommendations.

During the interview, the host also shared that he booked hotels, restaurants, and an entire Europe trip using ChatGPT, and realised OpenAI didn’t earn a single dollar from those transactions.

In response, Altman noted that people “pay for ChatGPT because they trust it,” arguing that this direct value exchange is very different from how ad-driven platforms operate.

Altman emphasised that he would never accept money to promote a hotel, but he would consider charging a transaction fee if the user books through ChatGPT.