OpenAI Is Preparing Ads for ChatGPT Apparently

A leaked beta build of ChatGPT's Android app has confirmed what many of us suspected: OpenAI is building an advertising infrastructure. Code references to "search ad," "search ads carousel," and "bazaar content" were discovered in a recent version that may signal the end of the ad-free AI era, at least for non-paid ChatGPT users presumably. For CMOs, this represents both a significant new advertising channel opportunity as well as a fundamental shift in how we think about AI-assisted decision making. Until we see details however, it’s an open question on if this is a positive platform evolution or the start of the (possibly inevitable) enshittification of the major AI platforms in their search for revenue to offset the vast infrastructure investment spree.

What We Know

The leak, first spotted by Tibor Blaho of AIPRMcorp, reveals that OpenAI is testing ad integration focused initially on search experiences within ChatGPT. This mirrors Google's search advertising model, starting with a familiar format before potentially layering on paid media.

The potential scale involved here is staggering. ChatGPT now serves approximately 800 million weekly users, up from 100 million in November 2023. The platform processes around 2.5 billion prompts daily. That's an enormous audience with deep engagement, and unlike traditional search, ChatGPT often knows significantly more about user intent, interests, and circumstances through their unmatched conversational context.

Sam Altman's Evolving Position

Sam Altman's stance on advertising has shifted notably over the past 18 months. In May 2024 at Harvard Business School, he called ads a "last resort" and said "ads-plus-AI is sort of uniquely unsettling to me." By July 2025 on OpenAI's debut podcast, his tone had changed: "I'm not totally against it. I think ads on Instagram, kinda cool."

More interesting is Altman's proposed alternative model. Rather than traditional placement-based advertising, he's suggested a commission-based approach: "We're never going to take money to change placement or whatever, but if you buy something through Deep Research that you found, we're going to charge like a 2% affiliate fee." This could represent a genuinely different ad model, one where the AI still provides its best recommendation but monetizes completed transactions.

Why This Matters

A new channel with unprecedented targeting depth. ChatGPT's conversational nature means it accumulates context that traditional search cannot match. Users often discuss their jobs, challenges, budgets, and preferences in ways they likely never would in a search query. If OpenAI can responsibly tap into this, the targeting precision could exceed anything we've seen.

Trust dynamics will be critical. Altman himself acknowledged the risk: "If ChatGPT were accepting payment to put a worse hotel above a better hotel, that is probably catastrophic for your relationship with ChatGPT." How OpenAI handles ad integration will determine whether a certain level of trust survives. CMOs need to watch this closely. Advertising on a platform where users suspect bias could backfire.

Competitive pressure on Google. This puts Google's core search advertising business under further direct threat from a platform that many users already prefer for research queries. If ChatGPT ads prove effective, expect Google to accelerate its own AI-native ad formats in Gemini.

What to Watch

OpenAI has hired advertising-focused engineers and is reportedly searching for a monetization chief. The infrastructure is being built. Based on various reports, ads could debut as early as 2026, likely starting with the free tier to monetize users who don't pay for ChatGPT Plus.

For now, no public rollout has begun. But CMOs should be preparing. This could be the most significant new advertising channel since social media, with the potential to reshape how consumers discover and evaluate products through AI-mediated conversations.