OpenAI has announced that it will begin testing advertising features for its ChatGPT service among adult users on the 'Free' and 'Go' subscriptions in the United States. The $8 per month 'Go' subscription will allow users to access the service while advertisers can market their products alongside. OpenAI has reassured users that advertisements will not affect the responses provided by ChatGPT, and that conversations will remain confidential from advertisers.

Since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, OpenAI's valuation has skyrocketed to about $500 billion, making it one of the highest-valued private companies in the world. Some analysts speculate that with future stock sales, the company could reach a valuation of a trillion dollars. This rapid growth, however, is accompanied by significant expenses, primarily due to the powerful computing resources required to maintain ChatGPT's capabilities. OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, has indicated that the company is increasingly looking for ways to monetize its services as operational costs escalate.

The decision to introduce ads comes at a time when a mere fraction of ChatGPT's nearly one billion users are paying for the 'Premium' subscription, which allows them to avoid ads altogether. By offering ads to users on lower-tier subscriptions, OpenAI aims to create a new revenue stream that could help fund its operations and further investment in technology, especially as competition in the AI space intensifies.