OpenAI Expands ChatGPT Advertising With Visual Display Ads
ChatGPT is getting more ads. OpenAI is adding visual display ads to its ad product lineup, allowing advertisements to appear alongside images that users ask ChatGPT to generate. The company is also expanding its ad measurement tools and partnerships while developing new ways to evaluate brand suitability.
Rollout Details and User Impact
The new ads will begin appearing later this month, initially in the United States only, featuring products and services from an initial test group of advertisers. OpenAI notes that the ads will be clearly labeled and will not influence the answers ChatGPT provides.
Whether the approach proves welcome or disruptive remains an open question. Integrating visual ads into image generation could complicate the user experience — though that may be partly intentional, as ads could nudge more casual users toward paid subscriptions to avoid them.
Competitive Pressure From Meta's Muse
The move follows the launch of Meta's Muse, an agentic AI app that is free to everyone and a growing competitor to leading AI chatbots like ChatGPT.
OpenAI's Growing Ad Business
OpenAI introduced ads earlier this year to support its free and low-cost subscription tiers, and expanded them to India in August.
The company's broader plan is to attract online advertisers who want to engage potential customers through more visual storytelling. Once the ads roll out globally, advertisers will eventually be able to target ChatGPT's 1.2 billion weekly users.
Expanded Measurement and Partner Ecosystem
Alongside the display ads, OpenAI said it is expanding its measurement tools and partner ecosystem. The roster now includes click attribution solutions such as AppsFlyer, Triple Whale, Adjust, DV Rockerbox, Northbeam, Branch, Singular, Kochava, Airbridge, and Tenjin, as well as full-funnel advanced measurement partners Fospha, Measured, and INCRMNTAL.
OpenAI has also partnered with Haus, Measured, and WorkMagic to help advertisers explore geo-based experiments around ads.
In addition, the company said it is developing brand suitability evaluation pilots with support from DoubleVerify (DV) and Integral Ad Science (IAS), which will help advertisers better understand the ChatGPT ads environment.
The Bigger Picture
Combined, these moves see OpenAI working to make ChatGPT a viable ad-supported business for users on free and low-cost plans.
via TechCrunch AI