OpenAI to Test Visual Ads Inside ChatGPT Image Generation

OpenAI is expanding ads in ChatGPT, and one of the first new formats will appear while you generate images. According to BleepingComputer, the visual ads could show product inspiration, how a product is used, or experiences tied to a service, giving advertisers a more visual way to promote themselves inside ChatGPT.

OpenAI says it will begin testing the new format later this month in the U.S. with an initial group of advertisers. The company says the ads will be clearly labeled and remain separate from the image being created, and no watermark will be added to the generated images.

OpenAI also reiterated that ads do not influence ChatGPT's answers.

Who is affected

Based on the current description, free-tier and Go-tier users will be affected first, while higher tiers are not impacted for now. The material does not say whether that will change later.

OpenAI says ChatGPT now reaches 1.2 billion people every week, and advertising is becoming another way for the company to make money from users who may not pay for a subscription.

Measuring ad results

Alongside the new visual format, OpenAI is adding more tools that let advertisers measure whether ChatGPT ads actually lead to purchases or other conversions. It is integrating with Hightouch, Tealium, and LiveRamp for conversion data, while attribution partners now include AppsFlyer, Adjust, Branch, Triple Whale, Kochava, and several others.

OpenAI is also working with DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science on brand suitability, which matters more in ChatGPT because ads appear around conversations rather than on a traditional webpage. The company says its safeguards are designed to prevent ads from appearing in emotionally vulnerable, sensitive, or otherwise unsuitable conversations.

OpenAI also says these independent partners will not get access to private user conversations while evaluating whether its advertising safeguards are working as intended.

For now, the visual ad experiment is limited to the U.S. The material does not give an end date for the test or a broader rollout plan.