ChatGPT will test ads beside the pictures people make

A new format, eight months in

OpenAI has announced a visual ad format for ChatGPT that it will begin testing with an initial group of US advertisers later this month during image-generation sessions, eight months after the platform opened to advertisers in February 2026.^[1] The format places a branded unit alongside the moment a user generates an image, a context OpenAI frames as high-attention and high-intent.

Early adopters praised ChatGPT Ads for conversational targeting but flagged gaps in measurement and limited formats compared with established performance platforms. Without the ability to connect campaigns to outcomes, budgets stayed contained at test levels.^[3]

Measurement: who is in and what they cover

OpenAI has partnered with AppsFlyer, Triple Whale, Adjust, DV Rockerbox, Northbeam, Branch, Singular, Kochava, Airbridge and Tenjin for click and conversion attribution.^[2] Advertisers can also send conversion data from their own systems through integrations with Hightouch, Tealium and LiveRamp.^[2]

Incrementality testing, often cited as the real proof of whether a channel drives new revenue, runs through geo-based experiments with Haus, Measured and WorkMagic.^[2] Brand resonance measurement sits at an earlier stage, with Kantar and Cint involved in testing.^[2]

Brand safety: independent review, with privacy caveats

DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science will each independently evaluate how OpenAI's safeguards perform across a broad range of scenarios. Mark Zagorski, Chief Executive Officer of DoubleVerify, said: "ChatGPT is creating a fundamentally different advertising environment, where context is defined by the conversation itself rather than a page or video. As advertising in these environments scales, delivering ads next to conversations that align with advertisers' suitability goals becomes essential. We're excited to partner with OpenAI with the goal to bring independent measurement to this dynamic environment while respecting user privacy, helping to give advertisers greater confidence as they explore this emerging and promising channel."^[1]

Lidiane Jones, Chief Executive Officer of Integral Ad Science, said: "As advertising expands into AI-native environments, marketers need confidence that brand safety protections are durable, consistent, and built to operate at scale. IAS's independent evaluation will assess how OpenAI's safeguards perform across a broad and evolving range of scenarios, giving advertisers greater transparency into brand safety and suitability, while preserving the privacy of real user conversations."^[1] OpenAI's own policies combine automated review, human oversight and Negative Phrases to prevent ads appearing in sensitive or vulnerable conversation contexts.^[2]

The supply-demand problem remains

Better measurement tools answer one complaint. The underlying supply constraint is harder to solve. ChatGPT reaches 1.2 billion people each week, making it the largest AI-native consumer platform by that measure.^[1] The audience is large; the inventory is thin.

Shamsul Chowdhury, EVP Paid Social at Zeno Group, said: "There are about two point five billion prompts globally happening each day on ChatGPT, whereas there's about fifteen billion searches on Google so the volume is inherently smaller. Compare that to the fact that there's only one ad placement on ChatGPT whereas Google has multiple, it all leads to a disconnect between supply and demand."^[3]

For search marketers weighing budget allocation, the measurement expansion removes the clearest objection to a test. Whether it removes the objection to meaningful spend depends on how the visual format performs in practice and when OpenAI adds more inventory. OpenAI launched its ad product in February 2026 and announced these additions on 5 October 2026.^[1]