OpenAI is testing a new visual ad format in ChatGPT that will first appear during image generation.
The test will begin later this month with an initial group of U.S. advertisers. OpenAI says the format will use images to show product inspiration, usage, or experiences associated with products and services.
The update gives advertisers another way to reach ChatGPT users beyond the ads currently shown below responses.
OpenAI also announced new measurement partnerships and brand suitability tools as it continues building out ChatGPT Ads.
How Will Visual Ads Work In ChatGPT?
Until now, ChatGPT Ads have appeared below responses, placing advertising directly within the chat experience.
Testing the new visual ads format during image generation could give OpenAI another way to reach people across ChatGPT’s broader user base.
OpenAI says ChatGPT now reaches 1.2 billion people each week. But, people aren’t necessarily using it in the same way. Some may be asking questions or researching purchases, while others are creating images, working with files, or using other features.
Bringing ads into image generation starts opening advertising to more of those experiences rather than relying only on the traditional chat interface.
It also raises questions about what the ads will look and feel like.
OpenAI says the visual ads will be clearly labeled and remain separate from the image being created. Advertising also won’t influence ChatGPT’s responses, according to the announcement.
Still, a visual ad appearing while someone is generating visual content could feel more native to the experience than a sponsored placement below a text response.
How much separation OpenAI creates between the two will be worth watching once the test begins.
OpenAI hasn’t shared details about targeting, pricing, creative requirements, or reporting for the new format since it’s only opening up to a select group of advertisers right now.
OpenAI Expands ChatGPT Ads Measurement
OpenAI is also adding more ways for advertisers to connect ChatGPT Ads with the measurement tools they already use.
Hightouch, Tealium, and LiveRamp integrations can send conversion data from advertisers’ existing systems to ChatGPT Ads.
OpenAI also supports attribution partners including AppsFlyer, Triple Whale, Adjust, DV Rockerbox, and Northbeam, among others. Those partnerships cover capabilities such as reporting, click attribution, and Conversions API integrations.
Incrementality measurement is another area OpenAI is beginning to test.
Haus, Measured, and WorkMagic are working with OpenAI on geo-based experiments designed to measure whether ChatGPT Ads caused additional business results.
OpenAI also shared several early partner results. DV Rockerbox reported WeightWatchers’ attributed CPA was 15.3% lower than its blended paid search benchmark. WorkMagic reported statistically significant incremental purchase lift for Dose. Triple Whale found that 93% of Portland Leather visitors from ChatGPT Ads were new.
Those figures measure different outcomes, so advertisers shouldn’t read them as broader ChatGPT Ads benchmarks. OpenAI also describes its incrementality work as early stage.
New Brand Suitability Tools Are Also Coming
Advertisers with specific placement restrictions may also get more control over where their ads appear.
OpenAI has introduced Negative Phrases for qualifying advertisers with placement requirements tied to their own brand policies.
Its existing guardrails assess whether conversations are appropriate for advertising. OpenAI says those safeguards are intended to keep ads away from sensitive, emotionally vulnerable, or otherwise unsuitable contexts.
OpenAI is also developing brand suitability pilots with DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science. The partners will evaluate how its brand safety standards are applied without receiving access to private user conversations.
That gives advertisers another independent layer for evaluating placements as ChatGPT Ads adds more formats.
What Advertisers Should Take Away
Most advertisers won’t have access to visual ads yet. OpenAI is starting with a limited group in the U.S., with no timeline for a broader rollout.
That makes this more of a format to watch than something advertisers need to plan around today.
If access expands, advertisers will need to look beyond click-through rates or whether the new ads outperform existing ChatGPT placements. It will be interesting to prove whether visual ads reach people or influence behavior that advertisers weren’t already capturing elsewhere.
That’s where OpenAI’s measurement updates could become more useful. Expanded attribution support can help advertisers connect ChatGPT Ads to conversions, while the early incrementality work could help determine whether those conversions would have happened anyway.
The same applies to placement controls. As OpenAI tests ads in different parts of ChatGPT, advertisers will need enough visibility and control to know where their ads appeared and whether those placements make sense for their brand.
A new ad format alone doesn’t give advertisers a reason to move budget to a new channel. The case gets stronger if OpenAI can show that visual ads reach different users, drive incremental results, and give advertisers enough control to evaluate both.
Featured image: Novikov Aleksey / Shutterstock
