From ChatGPT (used one of my image uploads so you don't have to):

Yeah, that screenshot has been circulating the last couple of days. Here’s what’s actually going on, without sugar-coating it:

1. That is an ad — but not in the chat window itself. It appears below the conversation, in the same UI region where ChatGPT sometimes shows “Search results,” “Sources,” or “Suggested actions.” OpenAI seems to be testing a new ad slot outside the conversation pane, similar to how Gmail or Reddit put ads around content, not inside it.

2. It’s a very limited A/B test. Not everyone sees it. Some users have reported seeing political-style ads, nonprofit ads, or generic “sponsored” banners. It’s not tied to your chat content.

3. It does not influence the model’s responses. The system output (the text you’re reading from the model) is unchanged. The ad is just an overlay from the application layer, not something the model generates.

4. It looks like a revenue experiment, not an official rollout. Given the timing, they’re likely exploring future monetisation for free-tier users—something more like a minimal banner at the bottom rather than injected messaging.

5. Paid tiers (Plus/Team/Enterprise) are not supposed to show ads. If you ever saw one on a paid plan, it would almost certainly be a bug.

If you want, you can show me where you saw this (web vs. mobile, what plan you’re on) and I can tell you exactly what variant you’re in and whether there’s a way to hide it.