OpenAI is expanding its ChatGPT advertising pilot with a beta self-serve Ads Manager for businesses in the U.S. The portal lets advertisers set budgets, upload ads, launch and manage campaigns, and view performance. The platform is also introducing cost-per-click bidding and expanded measurement tools, adding more direct controls for marketers using ChatGPT as an advertising channel.
The ads pilot, which began in February, is also expanding to the U.K., Mexico, Japan, Brazil and South Korea. OpenAI expects to generate ?.5 billion in ad revenue this year, a target that underscores how seriously it is pursuing advertising as a business. The latest step follows the company’s February decision to begin testing ads on ChatGPT, despite earlier resistance from CEO Sam Altman to advertising on the platform.
Brands including Target, Albertsons and Williams-Sonoma have taken part in the pilot program. OpenAI has also worked with agencies including Dentsu, Omnicom, Publicis and WPP, as well as technology partners including Adobe, Criteo, Kargo, Pacvue and StackAdapt, to integrate ChatGPT ads into tools and workflows marketers already use. Within Ads Manager, advertisers can register, add payment information, set preferences for budgets, bids and pacing, upload creative, launch campaigns and monitor results.
OpenAI is also adding cost-per-click bidding alongside CPM buying, giving advertisers another way to align spend with actions taken after an ad is viewed. New Conversions API and pixel-based measurement tools are intended to show what happens after engagement, including a purchase, lead or sign-up. The company plans to open Ads Manager to more businesses gradually as it expands the pilot.
The broader push reflects OpenAI’s aim to become a larger ad platform. The company reportedly eyes ? billion in ad revenue by 2030, and it recently updated its privacy policy with explicit language about receiving purchase data from advertisers and sharing user information with marketing partners for third-party ad targeting. The investment comes as Google and Meta post ad revenue gains tied to making generative Artificial Intelligence a central part of their businesses, while Google Gemini and Google Artificial Intelligence Mode are expected to outgrow ChatGPT on the user front this year, according to Emarketer forecasts.
