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OpenAI Introduces Image Ads in ChatGPT to Boost Advertiser Engagement
Confirmed
In Short: OpenAI is planning to introduce image ads in ChatGPT later this month, aiming to address advertisers' concerns about ad formats and measurement.
According to Digiday, since February, advertisers have faced issues with ad measurement and limited ad formats in ChatGPT.
OpenAI’s new image ad format will include product inspiration, usage, and experience images, allowing advertisers to tell their stories through visuals.
The initial test will run during image generation in the U.S., with ads clearly labeled and separate from the images ChatGPT generates.
OpenAI is expanding its in-house tools and integrating with partners like Kochava to provide advertisers with familiar tools for assessing web and app outcomes.
The company is also piloting brand suitability evaluations with DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science to ensure brand safety.
OpenAI emphasizes that ads will not influence ChatGPT’s responses, maintaining user trust.
The company claims that the new ad format creates opportunities for advertisers to connect with users during their exploration and decision-making processes.
OpenAI’s Ads Blog details the mechanics of the new ad format, including clear labeling and separation from user-generated images.
Early analysis shows promising results, with 52.7% of one-day view-through conversions occurring within an hour of ad impressions.
Partners like WeightWatchers and Portland Leather have reported lower cost per acquisition and higher new visitor rates from ChatGPT Ads.
OpenAI’s advertising policies and safeguards are designed to protect users and preserve trust while giving brands confidence in ad placement.
OpenAI is using Advertising Week New York to gather feedback from marketers on the new ad formats and measurement tools.
What this adds
OpenAI’s new ad format and measurement tools aim to bridge the gap between supply and demand, addressing advertisers' concerns.
The introduction of image ads and expanded measurement tools comes as OpenAI continues to expand its global reach and accessibility.
OpenAI’s efforts to integrate with third-party partners and develop brand suitability evaluations demonstrate its commitment to transparency and trust in advertising.
Background
At its Dev Day developer conference in San Francisco on Tuesday, OpenAI announced several new ChatGPT features designed for office workers, including a collaborative workspace called Space.
What's confirmed
- According to Digiday, since February, advertisers have faced issues with ad measurement and limited ad formats in ChatGPT.
- OpenAI’s new image ad format will include product inspiration, usage, and experience images, allowing advertisers to tell their stories through visuals.
- The initial test will run during image generation in the U.S., with ads clearly labeled and separate from the images ChatGPT generates.
- OpenAI is expanding its in-house tools and integrating with partners like Kochava to provide advertisers with familiar tools for assessing web and app outcomes.
- The company is also piloting brand suitability evaluations with DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science to ensure brand safety.
- OpenAI emphasizes that ads will not influence ChatGPT’s responses, maintaining user trust.
- The company claims that the new ad format creates opportunities for advertisers to connect with users during their exploration and decision-making processes.
- OpenAI’s Ads Blog details the mechanics of the new ad format, including clear labeling and separation from user-generated images.
- Early analysis shows promising results, with 52.7% of one-day view-through conversions occurring within an hour of ad impressions.
- Partners like WeightWatchers and Portland Leather have reported lower cost per acquisition and higher new visitor rates from ChatGPT Ads.
- OpenAI’s advertising policies and safeguards are designed to protect users and preserve trust while giving brands confidence in ad placement.
- OpenAI is using Advertising Week New York to gather feedback from marketers on the new ad formats and measurement tools.
What's still developing
- Since OpenAI started selling ads in ChatGPT in February, advertisers have kept coming back to the same complaints: they can’t measure the ads properly, they don’t have enough formats to work with and there isn’t enough inventory to absorb what they want to spend.
- For the past seven months, advertisers have been working with a relatively simple ad format which includes the advertiser name, logo, headline, description, landing page and image.
- As Digiday recently reported, measurement is one of key pieces OpenAI needs to unlock bigger ad budgets.
- “There are about 2.5 billion prompts globally happening each day on ChatGPT, whereas there’s about 15 billion searches on Google so the volume is inherently smaller,” said Zeno Group’s evp paid social, Shamsul Chowdhury.
- OpenAI’s latest round of updates takes aim at two of them.
- Without the ability to connect ChatGPT campaigns to outcomes, advertisers are likely to stick to contained test budgets.
- To do so, OpenAI is now expanding its in-house tools and partner integrations with the likes of Kochava, along with 10 other partners, so advertisers can use tools they already rely on to assess web and app outcomes, such as results beyond the last click.
- We’ve been working to make powerful AI accessible to everyone through our free product and low-cost subscription tier, ChatGPT Go, which has launched in 171 countries since August.
- Once we begin testing our first ad formats in the coming weeks and months, we look forward to getting people's feedback and ensuring that ads can support broad access to AI and keep the trust that makes ChatGPT valuable.
- People trust ChatGPT for many important and personal tasks, so as we introduce ads, it’s crucial we preserve what makes ChatGPT valuable in the first place.
- That means you need to trust that ChatGPT’s responses are driven by what’s objectively useful, never by advertising.
- OpenAI on October 5, 2026 introduced a new visual ad format in ChatGPT, expanded the measurement tools and partner ecosystem behind ChatGPT Ads, and said it is developing brand suitability evaluation pilots with DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science, saying the platform reaches 1.2 billion people each week.