A long‑expected move

ChatGPT launching its ads platform has been widely anticipated, even though formal testing has yet to begin. A leaked code snippet ahead of Christmas pointed to advertising features, making the direction clear well before any announcement.

The investment required to build and run large-scale AI is enormous, and OpenAI is under significant financial pressure. The company is planning data centre spending in hundreds of billions, remains unprofitable, and is still heavily reliant on fundraising. In that context, advertising was always likely.

How ChatGPT ads will work

Now it has been officially announced, we can look at what OpenAI has shared so far. They have been clear about the guardrails and the importance of user trust.

  • Ads will be clearly labelled and kept separate from answers, and they will be tested at the bottom of responses. They will not influence the responses themselves. This has always been a top priority for Sam Altman. Trust in the quality and neutrality of answers cannot be put at risk.
  • Users stay in control. Ad personalisation is optional, and an ad free paid tier will always be available. At the same time as this announcement, OpenAI made available everywhere the low-cost subscription tier: ChatGPT Go, which is included in the initial ad testing.
  • OpenAI has also been explicit that conversations with ChatGPT remain private from advertisers, and user data is never sold.
  • There will be no ads for under 18s, and no ads around sensitive topics such as health or politics.

Beyond that, a lot is still uncertain. We do not know which brands are running tests, how long the tests will last, when access will expand to other regions, what signals will be used for targeting, what reporting will look like, what buying model is available, or what ad formats are available. We have seen a couple of examples though, including carousel-style ads and the ability for users to ask direct follow-up questions when making a purchase decision, but that is about it for now.

The big questions are when and how advertisers will get access to the ChatGPT ads platform, and what we will learn from these US tests. Realistically, it looks like it will be several months before advertisers can actively use the platform worldwide.

Current Focus: AI Organic Visibility

For now, the focus should be on brands understanding what discoverability looks like inside ChatGPT. That includes how LLMs interpret content, which signals drive visibility, how brands appear naturally in high intent conversations without paying, and how people ask questions and how AI responds

At S&T, we are already doing this through AI visibility work with brands, using our GEO experience to show how content can be structured so AI systems can interpret it accurately and surface brands in relevant conversations. This matters because LLMs do not work like traditional search engines such as Google or Bing. They rely far more on understanding intent and context than matching keywords.

As a result, ads will play a different role in ChatGPT. Paid ads will sit within highly relevant conversations, adding value through context rather than interrupting the experience. They will also allow users to follow up with questions directly from the ads they see, creating a close connection between paid and organic visibility in AI driven journeys.

It’s still very early in the life of ChatGPT advertising. Over the coming months, more detail will emerge, and the industry will have clearer answers on access, formats and performance. We’ll continue to share updates as the landscape evolves.

If you’d like to explore this topic further, Digiday recently featured our perspective on how brands should prepare for ChatGPT ads and the role of clear, machine-readable content in AI-driven journeys. You can read the full piece here.

If you want to go beyond the trends and understand exactly how your brand currently performs in AI driven environments, our AI Audit can help. We assess your readiness across AI powered search (GEO), paid media integration, content and data workflows, and provide a structured roadmap with clear priorities and opportunities for growth. Learn more or get in touch.