Ads come to ChatGPT: OpenAI begins large-scale monetization testing
OpenAI is officially beginning to integrate advertising into ChatGPT. According to a CNBC report, ads will be clearly labeled and placed in a separate area below the main chat interface. Company leadership expects advertising revenue to account for less than half of total revenue in the long term. The move has already drawn public criticism from competitors, including Anthropic, which has emphasized the absence of ads in Claude in its recent campaign. The test will affect logged-in users and will mark OpenAI’s first serious step toward large-scale diversification of the business model for its flagship product.
AI-processed from The Verge; edited by Hamidun News
Ads are coming to ChatGPT: OpenAI begins testing monetization
OpenAI is starting to test advertising in ChatGPT: according to CNBC, ad display is launching for logged-in users of the product. The ads themselves will be "clearly labeled" and placed in a separate zone below the main dialogue window — a format OpenAI announced a month earlier. According to a source familiar with the situation, the company expects that in the long term advertising will bring in less than half of OpenAI's total revenue.
Ad format and rollout
Testing begins for authorized (logged-in) ChatGPT users. The ads are marked as advertising and shown in a separate zone below the main chat window, rather than inside the chat itself. OpenAI announced this placement format a month earlier; the start of the actual testing is a separate, later event, which CNBC reported.
OpenAI's expectations for ad revenue
A source close to the situation told CNBC that OpenAI expects advertising to make up less than half of the company's total revenue in the long term. The wording implies that the company expects to earn most of its revenue from other sources.
Anthropic's reaction
Last week, Anthropic aired a Super Bowl ad that played on the idea that "advertising is coming to AI" — but not to the Claude chatbot. The version of the ad that aired during the game turned out to be less blunt after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called the campaign "clearly dishonest."
When did OpenAI announce the ad format in ChatGPT?
OpenAI announced the format — clearly labeled ads in a separate zone below the dialogue window — a month earlier, before the actual testing began, the start of which CNBC reported later.
Which ChatGPT users is ad display starting for?
Ad testing is starting for authorized (logged-in) ChatGPT users.
What share of revenue does
OpenAI expect to get from advertising?
According to a source close to the situation, OpenAI expects that in the long term advertising will make up less than half of the company's total revenue.
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