OpenAI says the ads will appear alongside generated images and remain separate from the answers ChatGPT produces.
OpenAI will start testing a visual ad format inside ChatGPT later this month in the US. The ads show images of sponsored products and services and will initially appear when a user generates an image through the chatbot. OpenAI keeps the ads in a separate area from the generated image.
OpenAI first introduced advertising to ChatGPT in February, and those placements only showed a company name, logo, and product link in a sponsored section under the chat. The company says the visual format follows the same separation rule and will not influence the answers ChatGPT provides. OpenAI describes the test as limited to an initial group of advertisers.
Paid tiers stay clear of the new format, since OpenAI says ads will not appear for Plus, Pro, or Enterprise subscribers. Teams building on ChatGPT should note that OpenAI applies guardrails to judge when a conversation suits advertising, aiming to keep promotions out of emotionally vulnerable, sensitive, or otherwise unsuitable contexts.
OpenAI says it plans to try new ad formats in the future, which signals that sponsored placements will spread across more parts of the product. Operators and builders who rely on ChatGPT output should track how those placements evolve, because the company maintains that ads stay separate from generated answers and model responses.
What matters
- OpenAI will begin testing the visual ad format in the US later this month with an initial advertiser group.
- Ads will not show for Plus, Pro, or Enterprise subscribers, so paid tiers keep an ad-free experience.
- OpenAI plans to test more ad formats beyond images, which will shape how builders handle sponsored content.
Why it matters
OpenAI plans to test more ad formats beyond images, which will shape how builders handle sponsored content.
This GenAI News article was prepared in original wording using reporting and materials published by The Verge. Source reference: https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/1004655/openai-chatgpt-visual-ads.
Drafted by the GenAI News review pipeline.