Which AI chatbots are ad-free? It's time to look beyond ChatGPT

Zdnet reports OpenAI plans to begin testing ads in ChatGPT for logged-in Free and Go users, while Anthropic has publicly pledged to keep Claude ad-free. OpenAI says these ads will be clearly labeled, kept separate from the AI's organic answers, omitted from sensitive topics such as health or politics, and that user conversations will not be sold to advertisers.

Other major players take different approaches: Google has reportedly told advertisers it will add ads to Gemini and is testing ads in AI Mode; Microsoft Copilot already includes labeled sponsored placements; Perplexity has rolled out sponsored follow-up questions and paid media spots; xAI's Grok is expected to introduce ads and some users have shared examples; Meta AI does not insert ads into chat responses but uses AI interactions to personalize ads across its platforms.