ChatGPT ads are now open to small businesses as OpenAI builds a full self-serve ad platform
Key Points
- Advertisers in the US can now book ChatGPT ads on their own through a new Ads Manager, with no minimum budget required.
- OpenAI is introducing cost-per-click (CPC) billing and tracking tools, alongside partnerships with major ad agencies.
- The company is targeting $2.5 billion in ad revenue this year and $100 billion by 2030.
Advertisers in the US can now book ads in ChatGPT on their own. The $50,000 minimum budget is gone. OpenAI is targeting $2.5 billion in ad revenue this year.
OpenAI has launched a beta version of its "Ads Manager." US advertisers can register, set budgets and bids, upload creatives, and manage campaigns in ChatGPT directly. Until now, the pilot that started last fall was limited to a small group of directly managed clients.
OpenAI is also partnering with agencies Dentsu, Omnicom, Publicis, and WPP, as well as ad-tech providers Adobe, Criteo, Kargo, Pacvue, and StackAdapt. Advertisers can book ChatGPT ads through these partners using their existing tools, while OpenAI handles delivery.
Cost-per-click billing and a lower barrier to entry
The platform now offers cost-per-click (CPC) billing alongside the existing cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) model. OpenAI is also dropping the $50,000 minimum spend that applied during the pilot phase. According to OpenAI's monetization lead Asad Awan, this opens the platform to smaller businesses that don't have agency-level budgets.
New measurement tools include a conversions API and pixel-based tracking, letting advertisers attribute purchases, leads, or sign-ups to ad interactions. OpenAI says it only shares aggregated data, not the content of individual conversations.
Advertising becomes a core revenue stream
The rollout fits into OpenAI's broader revenue plans. According to Axios, the company is targeting $2.5 billion in ad revenue this year and $100 billion by 2030. A Reuters report from March put the US pilot's annualized revenue at over $100 million after just six weeks.
OpenAI states in its advertising principles that ChatGPT's responses remain independent and conversations stay private. Awan said ads do not influence the "core organic model." OpenAI has not provided evidence to back that up. With the newly introduced click-based billing, there's a growing financial incentive to serve ads precisely where users are making purchasing decisions - the same conversations where the model already offers recommendations without any advertising.
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