ChatGPT to open for advertising

ChatGPT will soon become an advertising channel for businesses, parent company OpenAI announced Friday. 

What’s happening: In the coming weeks, the company will begin testing advertisements on its free version, as well as its newly launched $8-per-month tier, in the U.S. 

• “To start, we plan to test ads at the bottom of answers in ChatGPT when there’s a relevant sponsored product or service based on your current conversation,” OpenAI wrote in a blog post. “Ads will be clearly labeled and separated from the organic answer.”

Why it matters: The move reflects a monumental shift in consumer search behavior: ChatGPT gained one million users in five days after its November 2022 launch — and 100 million in two months — cementing it as the fastest-growing consumer app in history. It currently counts over 800 million weekly active users. 

Between the lines: “Ads inside ChatGPT introduce a new, high-intent placement where users are actively asking questions and making decisions,” writes news site Search Engine Land. 

• “If this scales, it could become a new performance and discovery channel, especially for [businesses] focused on intent, education, or consideration-stage marketing,” it adds. 

Of note: The company hasn’t announced ad targeting, pricing, or measurement details — or when it may move beyond testing. A representative for OpenAI declined to comment. 

The big picture: Google sees over five trillion searches a year, while ChatGPT, by comparison, was receiving 2.5 billion “prompts” per day in July, according to OpenAI — roughly 18 percent of Google’s search volume on an annualized basis. 

• Meanwhile, across a sample of over 1,000 U.S. HVAC and plumbing contractors, ChatGPT drove less than one percent of closed revenue in 2025, according to analytics firm SearchLight. 

Looking ahead: “Once we begin testing our first ad formats in the coming weeks and months, we look forward to getting people’s feedback,” OpenAI said. “We’ll learn… and refine how ads show up over time.”