Say you're asking ChatGPT for ideas for a new coffeemaker, and a sponsored box appears below the answer. You may immediately wonder whether the seller just read your question. These ChatGPT ads privacy controls are worth checking before that little box catches you by surprise.
The short answer is reassuring: OpenAI says advertisers cannot see your chats, history, memories, name, email, or other personal details. But ChatGPT itself may use parts of your experience to choose an ad, depending on your settings.
Change the most important setting first
Open Settings > Ad Controls, then turn off Personalize ads if you do not want past chats, memories, and ad activity helping select ads. If a separate Past chats and memory switch appears, turn that off too.
You can also choose Delete ads data to clear ad history and topics. OpenAI says deleted ad data may take up to 30 days to leave its systems, so this is not an instant-erasure button.
One easy-to-miss limitation: turning personalization off does not remove every ad. ChatGPT may still use the subject of the conversation you have open right now to choose a relevant ad.
What the advertiser actually receives
OpenAI says advertisers receive combined, non-identifying totals, such as how many people viewed or clicked an ad. They do not receive the conversation that led to it, and an ad does not change or rank the answer ChatGPT gives you.
There is one common-sense exception. If you choose to message a business through its ad, that business can see the messages you send directly to it—just as it would in any customer chat.
A sponsored label also is not an endorsement. Before buying, open the company's official website yourself and double-check the offer, much as you would with our guide to checking a social media ad before buying.
Why you may not see the controls
Ads are rolling out gradually to eligible US users on the Free and Go plans. OpenAI says Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu accounts do not have ads, and Temporary Chats do not show them either.
I found this detail especially useful: if Ad Controls is missing on a phone, update the ChatGPT app first. The menu only appears where ads are available or coming soon, so an up-to-date app still may not show it on every account.
For a sensitive one-off question, our guide to using Temporary Chat explains what it keeps out of history and memory. And if your concern is an unfamiliar login rather than advertising, review your ChatGPT sessions instead.
You still have a clear say in how much of your ChatGPT activity helps choose an ad.
Official sources
- OpenAI: Building advertising for the way people use AI
- OpenAI Help Center: Ads in ChatGPT