OpenAI to test visual ads during ChatGPT image generation

OpenAI said it will begin testing visual ads inside ChatGPT later this month in the U.S., showing them while users generate images, BleepingComputer reported. The format will roll out with an initial group of advertisers and could "use images to show product inspiration, how a product is used, or experiences associated with a service."

"Initially, we'll test this new ad format during image generation in ChatGPT. Ads will be clearly labeled, and remain separate from the image being created," OpenAI said. The company also reiterated that "ads do not influence ChatGPT's answers."

OpenAI put ChatGPT's audience at 1.2 billion people weekly and framed advertising as an additional revenue stream alongside paid plans. The measurement stack leans on existing adtech: Hightouch, Tealium and LiveRamp for conversion tracking; AppsFlyer, Adjust, Branch, Triple Whale and Kochava for attribution; DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science for brand suitability. Independent partners evaluating the ad safeguards will not access private user conversations, the company said, and those safeguards are "designed to prevent ads from appearing in emotionally vulnerable, sensitive, or otherwise unsuitable conversations."

The announcement sits inside a dense run of OpenAI coverage we have tracked over the past quarter. Neither the article nor the company has disclosed pricing, the initial advertiser list, or whether paid-tier users will see ads.