ChatGPT will soon show ads alongside chats, OpenAI announced Friday.

Why it matters: The party’s over. The company behind the world’s most popular chatbot needs to make money.

OpenAI will begin testing advertising on its free and $8 per month Go tier in the U.S. in the coming weeks.

How it works: ChatGPT’s responses won’t be influenced by advertisers, OpenAI says. But ads will be influenced by conversations.

• Personalization will be on by default, with an opt-out.
• Ads will be separated from chats and labeled “Sponsored.”
• OpenAI says conversations will be kept private and data will not be sold to advertisers.

Between the lines: Ads in chatbots were always inevitable — and concerning, given how much sensitive personal and emotional information people share with ChatGPT and other bots.

Follow the money: OpenAI told investors in September that it could burn up to $115 billion in cash by 2030, per The Information. The company plans to spend at least $1.4 trillion on data centers and other tech infrastructure — but hadn’t previously revealed how it plans to make money.

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