OpenAI is expanding advertising in ChatGPT, with one of its first new formats bringing visual ads to the image-generation experience.
The company says it will begin testing the new format later this month in the U.S., initially with a limited group of advertisers. The ads are designed to give brands a more visual way to promote products and services while users are creating images in ChatGPT.
According to OpenAI, advertisers could use images to showcase product inspiration, demonstrate how a product is used, or highlight experiences connected to a particular service. The company says the ads will be clearly labeled and kept separate from the image being generated.
OpenAI also reiterated that advertising will not influence ChatGPT’s responses or the content it generates.
The move comes as OpenAI increasingly looks to advertising as another way to monetize ChatGPT’s rapidly growing user base. The company says ChatGPT now reaches 1.2 billion people every week, giving advertisers access to a massive audience beyond users who pay for subscriptions.
OpenAI is also expanding its advertising measurement capabilities. The company is working with Hightouch, Tealium, and LiveRamp to support conversion data, while attribution partners include AppsFlyer, Adjust, Branch, Triple Whale, and Kochava.
For brand safety, OpenAI says it is working with DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science to evaluate whether ads are appearing in appropriate environments. This is particularly important for ChatGPT because advertisements can appear alongside conversations rather than on traditional webpages.
OpenAI says its safeguards are designed to prevent ads from appearing in emotionally vulnerable, sensitive, or otherwise unsuitable conversations. The company also says its independent advertising partners will not receive access to users’ private conversations while assessing whether these safeguards are working properly.
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For now, the new visual advertising experiment is limited to the United States. However, the move signals that advertising could become a much larger part of ChatGPT as OpenAI looks for new ways to generate revenue from its growing user base.
