OpenAI to test visual ads in ChatGPT image generation

OpenAI announced it will begin testing visual ads in ChatGPT later this month in the US. The ads will initially appear when users generate images with the tool, according to the company’s announcement on Monday.

The new ad format will display images of sponsored products and services on the user’s screen. These visual ads will remain separate from the images generated by ChatGPT and will not influence the answers provided by the chatbot, OpenAI stated.

ChatGPT’s existing ads, introduced in February, only displayed a company’s name, logo, and a link in a dedicated sponsored section beneath the chat. The visual ad format represents an expansion of this monetization strategy.

OpenAI said ads will not appear for users subscribed to ChatGPT’s Plus, Pro, or Enterprise plans. The company also noted it has guardrails to determine when a conversation is appropriate for ads, aiming to exclude them from emotionally vulnerable, sensitive, or otherwise unsuitable contexts.

The company is testing the visual ads with an initial group of advertisers and plans to introduce new formats in the future.