10.03.2026 | by Oliver

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Highlights

 

• ChatGPT is testing ads near query replies for a selection of US users
• Claude AI positions itself against using ads on its platform
• The appearance of ads near AI-generated query replies poses serious questions about trust and could have far-reaching implications for the entire industry

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OpenAI announced the arrival of ads on ChatGPT. As of February 2026, the company will start testing ads, displaying them to logged-in adults in the US using ChatGPT’s free version or low-cost Go subscription. For the time being, ChatGPT’s Plus, Pro, and Business customers won’t have to expect ads.

 

The move comes as part of ChatGPT’s effort to expand its operations. The AI platform has already included features like that of an online marketplace, e.g. the Instant Checkout tool that allows users to purchase products from various sellers without leaving ChatGPT.

 

Discover ChatGPT’s efforts to become more attractive to online shoppers!

 

However, as Claude’s Super Bowl ads indicate, not all AI platforms are eager to include ads.

 

 

How ChatGPT ads work

According to OpenAI’s statement, ads are supposed to appear at the bottom of query replies in case there is a relevant sponsored product to the conversation. Ads should be clearly labelled and separated from the organic answer, and an explanation will also be provided on why the user is seeing that particular ad.

 

This contextual targeting indicates that the ads are personalized based on the conversation and not just on classic third-party tracking.

 

 

Screenshot of https://openai.com/index/our-approach-to-advertising-and-expanding-access/ displaying a ChatGPT conversation with an ad on a smartphone screen

 

 

Ad personalization can be turned off, and OpenAI promises not to sell user data or the content of conversations to advertisers. In addition, people under 18 won’t be exposed to ads, and sensitive topics like health, mental health, and politics should stay free of ads.

 

The first users encountering ads in ChatGPT report that they already appear on the first prompt they asked, not after a more lengthy conversation. The ads sport a visible "Sponsored" label and also feature a brand favicon. This clearly differentiates between the AI-generated query response and the ad content.

 

 

ChatGPT ads vs Claude’s promise to stay ad-free

Claude released a series of ads timed around one of the most important American sports events, the Super Bowl LX. Two of these clips were featured before and during the game itself, while several others were only released online.

 

The premise of the clips is the same. A person is asking for advice or information from an AI platform about important, often emotional issues, like strengthening their relationships, improving their health, or starting a business. The AI platform, represented by a smiling human with a slightly robotic delivery, provides a response, then interrupts itself to recite an ad that has little to no relevance to the original query.

 

 

Still image from the Claude ad clip played during Super Bowl LX https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQRu7DdTTVA

 

 

The final message appearing on the screen is the same: "Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude."

 

With these clips, Claude intends to differentiate itself from ChatGPT. Claude positions itself as a sensitive, helpful, and honest companion that attempts to help its users with important real-life issues, like strengthening communication with loved ones, providing advice on lifestyle choices, and giving input in professional queries.

 

ChatGPT, on the other hand, is building a classic business complete with regular ads. Featuring ads in AI responses is an issue of trust for users. After all, how can we trust a response that contains financial motivations from both ChatGPT and a third-party advertiser?

 

The big question is whether users will trust AI engines that operate with ads? Based on the initial response to Claude’s ads (the platform experienced an 11% boost in its daily active users), it seems that consumers prefer ad-free AI platforms.

 

 

How will ads in LLMs affect user trust?

Users trust AI platforms to aggregate, summarize, and share unbiased information without an ulterior motive. At least, that’s what they did so far. But the appearance of ads right next to AI responses changes the landscape entirely.

 

As digital integrity is becoming ever more important in AI-based e-Commerce, consumer trust is an issue that can’t be ignored.

 

Discover the changes AI brings to the world of e-Commerce!

 

Since users regard LLMs as trustworthy sources of facts, they are unfairly susceptible to this new form of advertising. Paid adverts and sponsored products placed strategically around the actual query response have a very good chance to be viewed as a part of the answer, leading consumers to purchase decisions they probably wouldn’t have made otherwise.

 

This phenomenon makes AI advertising very beneficial for businesses that want to position themselves as the solution to consumers with specific problems. However, it also has the potential to fundamentally transform how we view and use AI platforms.

 

If consumers catch on quickly to the incorporation of commercial elements and ads to AI engines, it’s entirely possible that they’ll develop a "tolerance" for AI ads and will be able to disregard them at least to the extent they disregard sponsored products or banner ads in internet browsers.

 

In this case, AI ads can quickly lose their appeal to marketers and will become just another regular tool in a business’s marketing mix.

 

Besides consumer trust, another important question is how ads in LLMs will affect user experience. Having to skim (or ignore) several sections of ad boxes may irritate consumers enough to abandon a platform altogether, especially if others remain ad-free.

 

It also remains to be seen how ads will change the way users approach AI platforms. If consumer trust is damaged, it’s possible that LLMs will lose their current high regard as sources of facts and will be treated as just another commercial tool that tries to talk them into parting with their money.

 

Based on the amount of e-Commerce features ChatGPT is acquiring, it’s also feasible that some LLMs may even choose to go this route and transform themselves into online shopping platforms where people go for product comparisons and not general inquiries about random issues.

 

As we can see, some platforms like Claude try to differentiate themselves by refusing to feature ads. This may indicate that LLMs will be separated into commercial and non-commercial branches, with the latter offering classic AI-generated answers while the former position themselves as AI-based shopping assistants.

 

All this comes down to the main issue: how will ads affect the credibility of AI and, consequently, consumer trust, and how will this in turn affect brands?

 

While at this point, we simply don’t have enough information to provide a satisfactory answer to these questions, we already see smaller shifts that indicate how online brand protection strategies will be affected.

 

Thanks to the whole new system of AI platforms developing and diversifying itself, online brand protection has gained an entirely new field, both in terms of potential dangers and advantageous opportunities. Brands and online brand protection experts need to take this new segment of the internet into account when developing and executing IP protection strategies.

 

Current trends indicate that while AI platforms keep gaining ground in e-Commerce, traditional platforms and online marketplaces also step up their game. This means that as long as these parallel structures of traditional and AI-assisted e-Commerce remain in existence, we also need to address challenges and protect against threats on both fronts.

 

 

Implications for online brand protection

Online brand protection is an extremely dynamic field. AI isn’t the first big change we need to adapt to; in fact, our industry is in a constant state of evolution as we continuously encounter and adapt to new threats, opportunities, and challenges as they arise.

 

Find out how AI is transforming online brand protection!

 

We have already encountered numerous AI-based threats and expect to see even more of them in the near future. For example, the number of impersonators and look-alike brands has already risen thanks to the tools and opportunities provided by AI. Now, with ads on AI platforms, we expect these fraudsters to try to buy their way into LLM platforms and get their ads placed next to well-known trademarks.

 

In addition, we anticipate fraudulent sellers promoting parallel imports, counterfeit goods, and bad-quality lookalike products via conversational ads in shopping-related AI queries.

 

As we detect and counter each of these threats, we can already see that a well-thought-out strategic response is essential to achieve the best results. Investing in a legitimate presence via AI-friendly content, PR, and business partnerships is the best way to get LLMs to pick up your brand’s content and appear in AI-generated answers organically.

 

 

Conclusion

AI has entered e-Commerce and is here to stay. Although the appearance of ads may fundamentally change the way consumers approach AI platforms, it’s clear that they’ll play an increasingly large role in online commerce.

 

Consequently, brands need to adapt their IP protection strategies to effectively counter challenges posed by AI. This means that classic online brand protection measures, like marketplace, domain, and social media monitoring, need to include a new element, LLM monitoring, to detect and eliminate infringing ads appearing on AI platforms as early as possible.

 

Contact us if you have any questions about protecting your IP rights against AI or any other threat you face!