ByAnisha Sircar,
Contributor.
OpenAI said last week that it would begin testing advertisements within its popular chatbot ChatGPT in the coming weeks, targeting adult users in the United States who use the free tier or the company’s new $8-per-month ChatGPT Go subscription. Premium subscribers on the Plus ($20/month), Pro ($200/month), Business and Enterprise tiers will remain ad-free.
This could be a watershed moment for generative AI as OpenAI becomes one of the first major AI companies to introduce advertising directly into a conversational chatbot. It also signals mounting financial pressure: despite reportedly exceeding an estimated $20 billion in annualized revenue by 2025, the company is burning through cash to fund its AI infrastructure ambitions.
OpenAI projects losses will reach approximately $14 billion by 2026, with the company’s cash burn rate remaining around 57% of revenue through 2027, according to financial documents reviewed by Fortune and The Information. The startup expects to burn through a cumulative $115 billion through 2029 before potentially turning cash flow positive in 2029 or 2030.
