OpenAI has revealed a new advertising option it will be testing later this month
The developer of the popular ChatGPT AI tool announced that its ChatGPT Ads will receive additional promotion options as soon as late October. That’s when the company will start testing the new ad format – visual ads. Those will initially appear while users generate their own images via ChatGPT. At first, the visual ads will be tested with select advertisers only. The AI firm did not specify exact brand names that will participate in the new initiative.
Per corporate stats, ChatGPT has about 1.2 billion weekly users. The image generation tool is available in the free-use tier as well, so the target audience for visual ads expands beyond paid plans subscribers. In fact, the broader ChatGPT Ads suite states “ads appear for users on the Free and Go plans”. Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu accounts should not have ads displayed. Whether the same policy will apply to visuals shown alongside generated images is not yet clarified.
OpenAI claims that ads will be labelled clearly as marketing content and be distinguished from the provided answer or generated image.
For advertisers, the company is expanding the campaign reach measurement options. It offers integrations with Hightouch, Tealium, and LiveRamp systems so that conversion data is exchanged with ChatGPT Ads easier. Besides, OpenAI now has partnerships with full-funnel and advanced measurement partners, including Fospha, Measured, and INCRMNTAL. Conversions API, reporting, and click attribution solutions are also supported. In particular, OpenAI collaborates with AppsFlyer, Triple Whale, Adjust, DV Rockerbox, Northbeam, Branch, Singular, Kochava, Airbridge, and Tenjin, for those purposes.
The firm has established advertising policies that should help prevent ads from showing up in sensitive discussions context, or during conversations on inappropriate, harmful or controversial topics. OpenAI might still modify the policies along with new features rollout, but for know, its chatbot ads “are primarily limited to consumer verticals such as lifestyle and household goods, local services, travel and experiences, and digital products or education.”
A recent survey of 4,250 consumers across the UK, US, France and Germany, commissioned by SkyParlour on behalf of the payments consultancy firm PSE Consulting and conducted by market research company OnePoll, in March 2026 revealed that 43% of consumers have had positive experiences with AI-assisted shopping. Most of the consumers have leveraged the power of AI for product discovery and price comparison.
