OpenAI has slipped an ads manager into its testing phase for ChatGPT, a move that hints at big ambitions in advertising. The tool popped up last week. It lets a select group of advertisers tweak campaigns on the fly. Think real-time tweaks for impressions and clicks, no middlemen needed. This setup mirrors Google Ads in structure, as reported by Digiday. And it’s part of a broader push. OpenAI eyes $100 billion in ad revenue by 2030, starting from a projected $2.5 billion this year alone.
The company dropped the entry fee for its ad pilot to $50,000. That’s down from $200,000 or more. A smart play to draw in more testers. Early results show promise. Just six weeks in, OpenAI hit $100 million in annualized revenue from about 600 advertisers. Impressive. But losses loom large—$14 billion expected this year. “They [OpenAI] are expected to lose $14 billion this year alone, so anything that can support the top line, they will pursue,” said Karsten Weide, principal and chief analyst at W Media Research, in the Digiday report.
Self-serve access changes everything. Advertisers monitor performance directly. Optimize without looping back to OpenAI or agencies. It’s a test within a test, extended through April’s end. Maybe longer. The cost per thousand impressions holds at $60. High, sure. But ChatGPT users often seek decisions, like search intent. That justifies the price, one executive told Digiday. “I think they need to hold $60 CPM through the test so they can do calibration,” the exec noted. “If they change the CPM partway through the test, it would mess up how they’re looking at it.”
Code buried in the ads manager tells another story. It points to conversion tracking on the horizon. Clicks and conversions could soon drive campaigns. Right now, it’s impressions only. But snippets suggest a shift to performance metrics. The manager, code-named “bazaar,” sits on a system called “tapestry.” This setup hints at ChatGPT evolving into a full ad machine, per AdWeek. “It’s unclear what types of conversions,” said Juozas Kaziukėnas, advisor at ecommerce ad platform Quartile. “In most cases it’s used for app installs or track when someone places an order for commerce.”
Expansion rolls out too. OpenAI plans to push ads beyond the U.S. Canada, Australia, and New Zealand get pilots soon. More markets follow this year. That’s from the company’s own update on its site. And user trust? Holding steady. Early data shows no dip in metrics. Low dismissal rates for ads. Feedback sharpens relevance. OpenAI stresses principles: Ads don’t sway answers. Chats stay private. Users control what they see.
But why the rush? An IPO looms later this year. OpenAI hired David Dugan as news ads boss. Teamed up with ad tech like Criteo and Smartly. These steps build a solid foundation. “OpenAI needs to move quickly to establish itself as a legitimate player in the ads business, so launching an ad manager early is an important step,” Debra Aho Williamson, founder and chief analyst at Sonata Insights, told Digiday. She compared it to Facebook’s 2007 self-serve launch, not long after ads began.
Recent buzz on X underscores the momentum. Posts from April 10 highlight the lowered threshold and manager debut. One from Truth in Advertising flagged the conversion code, linking to AdWeek. Another, dated April 9, noted $2.5 billion in projected 2026 revenue, echoing figures in eMarketer. That report also praises the tool for fixing gaps in automated buying and measurement. Lower costs pull in more players. Partnerships add credibility.
So, what’s next? OpenAI’s official post from February, updated in March, promises broader access without eroding trust. Ads fund smarter features for free users. But only for logged-in adults on Free and Go tiers. Premium plans stay ad-free. Conversations remain off-limits to advertisers. Aggregate data only.
This isn’t just tinkering. OpenAI chases giants like Google and Meta. Self-serve models fueled their growth. Now, ChatGPT aims to follow. Early revenue spikes suggest it might work. Yet challenges persist. High CPMs need justification. Performance tools must deliver. And trust can’t waver. As one X post asked: Will ChatGPT become a major ad force like Google or Meta? Time will tell. For now, the quiet launch speaks volumes. A calculated step toward massive scale.
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