tech
April 2, 2026
OpenAI partners with Smartly to bring conversational ads to ChatGPT
Six weeks was all it took. On 9 February, OpenAI switched on advertisements inside ChatGPT for free-tier users in the United States. By late March, the company disclosed that the pilot had crossed $100 million in annualised revenue, drawn more than 600 advertisers, and reached fewer than a fifth of eligible users. Now OpenAI is enlisting outside help to make those ads considerably more ambitious. According to Business Insider, the company is working with Smartly, the Helsinki-based advertising automation platform, to bring conversational, interactive ad units to ChatGPT, formats that do not simply sit beside a response but respond to the user in turn.
TL;DR
- OpenAI has partnered with Smartly to create conversational and interactive advertisements within ChatGPT.
- The initial advertising pilot generated $100 million in annualised revenue with over 600 advertisers.
- OpenAI has hired David Dugan from Meta to lead its global advertising solutions team and partnered with Criteo.
- The company projects ChatGPT consumer revenue to exceed $17 billion in 2026, with advertising being a significant income source.
- Self-serve advertising tools and international pilots in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are planned.
- The pricing for ChatGPT ads is aggressive at $60 per thousand impressions, justified by early performance data.
- OpenAI states user conversations remain private and are not shared with advertisers, with restrictions on sensitive topics and users under 18.
- Critics like former researcher Zoe Hitzig express concerns about the long-term incentive structures and potential privacy implications of processing user data.
- Competitors like Anthropic are highlighting their ad-free models in contrast to OpenAI's strategy.
- The success of conversational ads hinges on maintaining user trust, balancing commercial interests with the platform's core appeal.
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