ChatGPT expands mobile access and ad policy with new features

The new advertising initiative, currently in testing with some users in the United States, introduces "sponsored" links that appear at the bottom of ChatGPT's responses. According to The Verge, OpenAI has stated that these advertisements "do not influence the answers ChatGPT gives you," aiming to maintain a separation between its core generative AI functionality and commercial content. This test is being conducted across the platform's most affordable tiers, which include the free access level and the Go subscription plan.

OpenAI has defined specific content safeguards for its advertising system. As reported by TechMeme, ads are not eligible to appear adjacent to conversations involving "sensitive or regulated topics like health, mental health or politics." This policy is designed to prevent brand safety issues and align with broader industry standards for responsible ad placement, though the technical mechanisms for topic detection and ad filtering were not detailed in the available sources.

This expansion onto mobile and the introduction of ads signal a strategic evolution for ChatGPT from a standalone web-based tool into an integrated daily assistant, as noted by the Mastodon Social ML Timeline. The dedicated Android application on the Google Play Store is a key component of this strategy, making the AI more readily accessible for on-the-go tasks and increasing its potential user base. This move mirrors the earlier release of a ChatGPT iOS app and represents a broader industry trend of conversational AI transitioning into a ubiquitous utility.

The available sources did not provide specific technical details on the implementation of the ad-serving infrastructure, such as whether it leverages user conversation history for targeting or operates on a contextual basis tied to individual queries. Furthermore, the rollout timeline for a wider audience and the specific revenue share models for advertisers remain undisclosed. The introduction of ads follows the deployment of other platform features, including parental controls, which were noted by The Verge as rolling out, indicating a continued effort to scale the service's functionality and accessibility.