OpenAI is now internally testing 'ads' inside ChatGPT that could redefine the web economy.

Up until now, the ChatGPT experience has been completely free.

While there are premium plans and models, you don't see GPT sell you products or show ads. On the other hand, Google Search has ads that influence your buying behaviour.

OpenAI is planning to replicate a similar experience.

As spotted by Tibor on X, ChatGPT Android app 1.2025.329 beta includes new references to an "ads feature" with "bazaar content", "search ad" and "search ads carousel."

This move could disrupt the web economy, as what most people don't understand is that GPT likely knows more about users than Google.

For example, OpenAI could create personalised ads on ChatGPT that promote products that you really want to buy. It might also sneak in ads in the search ads, similar to Google Search ads.

The leak suggests that ads will initially be limited to the search experience only, but this may change in the future.

Ads might actually work in ChatGPT's favour

ChatGPT has roughly 800 million people using it every week, up from 100 million weekly users in November 2023 and about 300 million weekly users in late 2024.

An OpenAI-backed study estimated 700 million users sending 18 billion messages per week by July 2025, which lines up with this growth, and other analysts now peg traffic at around 5–6 billion visits per month.

GPT handles about 2.5 billion prompts a day, and India has become the single biggest user base, ahead of the US.

ChatGPT has everything it needs for ads to succeed. What do you think?