OpenAI said on the 17th it will launch "ChatGPT Go," a low-cost service that requires watching ads but lets people, including in Korea, use it at a discount. The subscription costs $8 a month (about 15,000 won), more than half cheaper than the existing paid membership, Plus ($20 a month).
OpenAI said ChatGPT Go is "a low-priced subscription designed to expand access to the most popular features and enable more people to use advanced artificial intelligence (AI) services in everyday life."
OpenAI launched ChatGPT Go in India in Aug. last year and has been expanding the service to 170 countries in stages. After analyzing markets where ChatGPT Go was introduced, OpenAI said users are using the service across everyday tasks such as writing, learning, image generation, and problem solving. "Based on the analysis of usage patterns, we are expanding the applicable markets to the world," it said.
ChatGPT Go is based on the latest model, GPT-5.2 Instant. It offers more than 10 times the messages, file uploads, and image generation than free users. Longer memory and a larger context window are also available. The longer the usage time, the more ChatGPT can deliver answers tailored to the user.
ChatGPT Plus supports an advanced version that includes the GPT-5.2 Thinking model. It is designed for tasks that require "deep reasoning," such as ▲ content and document generation ▲ learning and search ▲ data analysis. Compared with Go, Plus has higher limits for messages, file uploads, memory, and context, allowing it to remember more past conversations.
ChatGPT Pro provides full access to GPT-5.2 Pro, the highest-performance model, and offers maximum memory and context as well as previews of the latest features.
OpenAI said, "While maintaining free and low-cost access to GPT, we will establish ways to deliver more powerful features over time," adding, "In the coming weeks, we will begin tests of the free and Go plans for adult users logged in from the United States." It added this is "part of our commitment to making AI accessible to everyone," and that "advertising will help keep ChatGPT free or reasonably priced."
OpenAI said the ads introduced will not affect answers. It also said ads will be clearly labeled so users can recognize them, and that users under 18 will not see ads. It will not show ads in conversations on sensitive or regulated topics such as mental health and politics.