OpenAI Could Reportedly Run Out of Money in 2027, So It Adds Ads to ChatGPT

While RAM makers leave the market to focus on supporting AI for big companies with their hardware, one of the main AI providers is having a hard time.

OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, is reportedly losing so much money that it might run out in 18 months, at least according to The New York Times.

As Futurism noted, OpenAI was projected to burn more than $8 billion in 2025 and over $17 billion in 2026. "And in 2027 and 2028, the company projects to burn roughly $35 billion and $45 billion, respectively. In the prior projection, the company said its 2028 cash burn would be $11 billion, meaning the new estimate is more than four times higher," said The Information.

So, it looks like OpenAI should do something meaningful financially this year, and it has already started: the CEO, Sam Altman, announced it will start testing ads in ChatGPT's free and Go (new $8/month option) tiers.

He promised that responses in ChatGPT would not be influenced by ads, ads will always be separated and clearly labeled, and that your conversations will not be visible to advertisers. Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise users, as well as children, will not have ads. He also said he'd try to make the ads useful to users.

We'll see if this plan will help the company stay afloat longer. Just a reminder: OpenAI started as a non-profit company but failed to continue this path, according to Elon Musk, one of its co-founders, who is now suing the startup.