OpenAI Put Ads in ChatGPT. The Desperation Phase Has Begun.

OpenAI is testing ads in ChatGPT for free and low-paying US users. After burning through billions in funding and posting an $8 billion operating loss in 2025, they need to triple their revenue. So they're doing what desperate platforms always do: they're monetising their users' attention. This isn't innovation — it's desperation.

The Numbers Don't Lie

Let's talk about OpenAI's financial reality. They're projecting $17 billion in spending for 2026, with a staggering $115 billion through 2029. That's not sustainable growth — that's a company burning money faster than they can raise it. The ad integration isn't a strategic choice; it's a necessity born from a business model that doesn't work.

Compare this to Anthropic, which just raised $30 billion specifically to avoid this exact scenario. Anthropic's funding lets them focus on building better AI, not better ad targeting. The contrast couldn't be starker: one company is building infrastructure, the other is monetising desperation.

When your AI assistant starts interrupting your workflow to show you ads for project management software, you're not using cutting-edge technology — you're using a billboard with a chatbot attached.

The Free Tool Trap

Here's what businesses need to understand: free AI tools aren't free. They're ventures capital subsidised until they're not. OpenAI spent years building market dependency on ChatGPT, and now they're cashing in that dependency through advertising.

If you've built your content creation, customer service, or analysis workflows around ChatGPT, you're about to discover the true cost of "free" tools. Every prompt will compete with advertising for attention. Every response will be filtered through monetisation requirements. Your AI assistant is becoming a sales assistant — for someone else's products.

This is why smart businesses invest in proper AI infrastructure from the start. When you're paying for enterprise-grade tools, you're buying reliability, not renting attention.

What This Means for Business Users

I've worked with hundreds of ecommerce businesses over the past 26 years, and I've seen this pattern repeatedly. Free tools become expensive tools. Free tools become unreliable tools. Free tools become someone else's revenue stream.

Businesses currently using ChatGPT for operations need to ask hard questions: What happens when ads interrupt your customer service automation? How reliable is an AI that's optimised for ad engagement rather than accurate responses? Can you trust business-critical workflows to a platform that needs to show ads to survive?

The smart money is already moving. Companies that built on OpenAI's free tier are migrating to reliable, paid infrastructure. They're realising that the cost of proper AI tools is minimal compared to the risk of depending on advertising-subsidised models.

The Anthropic Advantage

Whilst OpenAI scrambles to monetise users through advertising, Anthropic is using their $30 billion to solve the fundamental problems of AI reliability and capability. No ads, no distractions, no competing priorities — just better AI.

This funding difference matters more than most businesses realise. Anthropic can focus entirely on making Claude faster, smarter, and more reliable. OpenAI has to balance AI development with advertising optimisation. Guess which approach produces better business tools?

For enterprise users, this choice is becoming obvious. Claude Pro costs £20 per month and delivers consistent, ad-free performance. ChatGPT Plus costs the same but now comes with the promise of advertising interruptions. The value proposition isn't even close.

Building vs Renting

The deeper issue here is strategic: are you building on AI infrastructure or renting AI access? Companies that treat AI as a cost centre — always chasing free tiers and promotional pricing — end up at the mercy of platform changes like this one.

Companies that treat AI as infrastructure — investing in reliable, scalable solutions — maintain control over their operations. When Anthropic improves Claude, their workflows get better. When OpenAI adds ads to ChatGPT, their workflows get interrupted.

The difference between building and renting becomes critical when your competitive advantage depends on AI capability. You can't build sustainable business processes on platforms that prioritise advertising over functionality.

Time to Upgrade Your Infrastructure

OpenAI's move to advertising signals the end of the free AI era. The platforms that built market share by subsidising access are now monetising that access through advertising. The question for businesses isn't whether to pay for AI — it's who to pay and what you get for your money.

Pay OpenAI and you get AI with ads. Pay Anthropic and you get AI built for business. The choice seems obvious, but most businesses will wait until the advertising becomes unbearable before switching. Don't be most businesses.

Your AI infrastructure determines your competitive capability. Choose platforms that align with your business goals, not advertising revenue targets. The AI you build your workflow on should be working for you, not showing you ads for your competitors.

The desperation phase has begun for platforms that can't make their economics work. Don't let their desperation disrupt your operations.