Will ChatGPT feature adverts?

A few years ago, virtually no one had heard of ChatGPT, but nowadays it has grown into one of the most popular AI tools worldwide. Although CEO Sam Altman has always made it clear that he is not a big fan of adverts, OpenAI seems to be taking more and more steps towards introducing paid adverts within ChatGPT. Should we be preparing for this?

Where do the ChatGPT Ads speculations come from?

OpenAI has not yet issued an official statement on advertising, but a number of telling signs suggest they are working on it. For example, a job vacancy was posted for a Growth Paid Marketing Platform Engineer, whose role is to help develop tools for advertising integrations, campaign management and real-time attribution. This role is part of the new ‘ChatGPT Growth Team’. At the time of writing, this vacancy is no longer live.

In addition, AdWeek reports that Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of Applications, has already held talks with candidates to lead a new team tasked with bringing advertising to ChatGPT.

What will the adverts look like?

That remains to be seen for now. We do know, however, that ChatGPT’s organic results now sometimes display products in response to queries with a more commercial search intent. Below is an example of what this looks like when you type that you’re looking for five beige sofas for your living room. ChatGPT adverts could look similar, but would be marked with a ‘sponsored’ label.

Although this is one way of doing things, ChatGPT Ads can also be displayed in other ways.

When can we expect ChatGPT?

Although this is still speculation, internal reports from OpenAI suggest that ChatGPT could launch an advertising product within a year. This information is based on internal data obtained by The Information. If you wish to read this, a subscription is required.

For now, we’re keeping a close eye on developments. Do you already have questions on this topic or need help with online marketing? Please feel free to contact us.