OpenAI Expands ChatGPT Advertising to More Markets After US Pilot

OpenAI is set to expand the markets in which it offers advertising in ChatGPT after seeing the results of its pilot in the United States.

The company will launch pilots in Canada, Australia and New Zealand in the coming weeks and in “many more markets” later this year, it said in a Thursday (March 26) update to an earlier blog post about the ads program.

“Guided by our ads principles, the early results are encouraging,” OpenAI said in the update. “We’re seeing no impact on consumer trust metrics, low dismissal rates of ads, and ongoing improvements in the relevance of ads as we learn from feedback. These positive signals support moving into the next phase of our pilot.”

OpenAI’s ad principles include having ChatGPT’s answers remain independent and unbiased, conversations remain private and people retain control over their experience with ChatGPT, according to the update.

Reuters reported Thursday that within six weeks of the pilot’s launch in the U.S., OpenAI’s advertising business surpassed $100 million in annualized revenue. The report, which cited an OpenAI spokesperson, said the company now has more than 600 advertisers.

OpenAI announced Jan. 16 that it planned to begin testing ads in the U.S. for its Free and Go tiers within weeks. It added that the company’s Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise subscription plans would not include ads.

The firm said it was testing ads “so more people can benefit from our tools with fewer usage limits or without having to pay.” It added that as it began testing ad formats, it looked forward to “getting people’s feedback and ensuring that ads can support broad access to AI and keep the trust that makes ChatGPT valuable.”

OpenAI said on Feb. 9 that it had begun testing ads in ChatGPT for logged-in adult users on the chatbot’s Free and Go subscription plans. Within days, Target, Adobe, Williams-Sonoma and Albertsons said they were participating in the pilot ad program.

It was reported Monday (March 23) that OpenAI was preparing to show ads to all U.S. users of ChatGPT’s Free and Go versions and that the company hired former Meta advertising executive David Dugan to oversee its ad sales.

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