ChatGPT Ads is here: how OpenAI’s new advertising platform works

For years, the industry has wondered when OpenAI would find a clear monetization path for ChatGPT. The answer is no longer a theory or a futuristic prediction: ads inside ChatGPT already exist, and OpenAI has started rolling out its own advertising ecosystem.

Yes, you read that right.

In just a few months, OpenAI has accelerated the development of its advertising ecosystem: expanding ChatGPT Ads into new markets, launching its own Ads Manager Beta, introducing conversion-optimized campaigns, developing new measurement capabilities, and taking a particularly relevant step for ecommerce: activating campaigns directly from product catalogs.

This move confirms something important for brands: ChatGPT is not only evolving as a space for search, discovery, and recommendations. It is also beginning to establish itself as a new advertising environment.

And that changes the conversation considerably.

Because the challenge is no longer just about getting a brand to appear in AI-generated responses. It is also becoming increasingly important to understand how to turn conversational intent into traffic, consideration, and business results.

What is ChatGPT Ads?

ChatGPT Ads is OpenAI’s new advertising platform integrated directly into ChatGPT.

Ads appear separately from organic responses and are clearly identified as sponsored content. OpenAI also maintains an explicit separation between the two systems: advertisers cannot pay to modify or influence the responses generated by ChatGPT.

Currently, ads can be shown to users on the Free and Go plans. Users on Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu plans do not see ads. Ads are also not shown to users who are identified or estimated to be under 18.

The current format can include:

• advertiser name,
• logo or favicon,
• headline,
• description,
• image,
• and a link to a landing page.

But the main difference compared with other advertising environments is not so much the format as the context.

ChatGPT can interpret what a user is trying to accomplish within a conversation and use that information to determine which advertising may be relevant.

In which countries is ChatGPT Ads available?

The rollout has progressed considerably since the initial tests in the United States.

ChatGPT Ads has been rolled out to users in seven markets:

• United States
• Canada
• United Kingdom
• Australia
• New Zealand
• Japan
• South Korea

In addition, OpenAI has announced the expansion of testing to Mexico and Brazil, two particularly relevant markets for the platform’s growth in Latin America.

Availability for advertisers through Ads Manager Beta is currently confirmed in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea.

The rollout is progressive, so availability may change as OpenAI adds new markets.

From search engine to recommendation engine: the big shift

Until now, digital marketing was mainly divided into two major worlds:

But ChatGPT introduces a third category:

And this is extremely important.

Because users do not open ChatGPT to “browse.” They use it to solve problems, compare options, ask for recommendations, make decisions, learn, research, and shop smarter.

That means user intent is far deeper and more specific than in most other channels.

How ads work in ChatGPT

The bidding system

According to information shared by testers and industry sources, OpenAI uses a system very similar to the traditional Google Ads model:

• CPC campaigns (Cost Per Click),
• CPM campaigns (Cost Per Mille),
• real-time bidding auctions,
• and second-price auctions.

In other words: the winning advertiser does not necessarily pay their maximum bid, but rather an amount close to the second-highest bid.

Nothing particularly revolutionary here. OpenAI does not need to reinvent the advertising buying system. It simply needs the market to understand it quickly.

And honestly, copying a model that has worked for over 20 years does not sound like the worst idea in the world.

How much does it cost to advertise?

OpenAI currently recommends a CPC between: $3 and $5.

That may sound expensive compared to social platforms, but it makes sense once you understand the type of intent inside ChatGPT.

Because users here are not passively consuming content. They are actively trying to solve something.

From keywords to context hints

On traditional search platforms, much of advertising strategy has been built around keywords.

ChatGPT Ads introduces a different concept: context hints.

These are signals that advertisers can provide to OpenAI to describe the types of conversations, needs, topics, or situations in which a product or service may be relevant.

They do not work like exact-match keywords. For example, a hint might describe: “People looking for cushioned running shoes to start running.”

The platform can interpret different ways of expressing that same need within a conversation.

This requires a change in logic.

It is no longer enough to ask: What is my user searching for?

We also need to understand:

• What are they trying to solve?

• In what context does that need arise?

• What questions do they ask before making a decision?

• What attributes do they need to understand in order to compare options?

For brands, this means starting to build much richer intent maps than a traditional keyword list.

ChatGPT’s Ads Manager

OpenAI is already testing its own campaign management platform.

Based on current leaks and early access reports, advertisers will be able to:

• create campaigns,
• set CPC or CPM bids,
• define campaign objectives,
• add headlines and ad copy,
• link landing pages,
• monitor performance,
• track conversions.

Available metrics would include:

OpenAI already has a conversion pixel

ChatGPT Ads includes a conversion tracking system through a conversion pixel that can be installed on a website to measure post-click actions.

That means OpenAI does not want to stop at:

• awareness,
• branding,
• recommendations.

It wants to compete in performance marketing.

And that is a huge leap.

Because the moment a platform can measure clicks, leads, sign-ups, sales and conversions, it automatically becomes a serious advertising channel.

Has ChatGPT Ads arrived in Spain yet?

ChatGPT Ads is not yet officially available to advertisers in Spain.

There is also currently no publicly announced launch date for Spain or the rest of the European Union.

That does not mean European brands should wait until a “create campaign” button appears before they start preparing.

Quite the opposite. The model OpenAI is building already makes it fairly clear which assets will become increasingly important: structured data, product catalogs, measurement, high-quality content, and a much deeper understanding of the intent behind conversations.

The real shift is not the ads

And this is probably the most important reflection of this entire movement.

The big change is not that ChatGPT will display advertising.

The real shift is that conversation itself is becoming a new interface for discovery, comparison and decision-making.

Brands will now also need to optimize for generative AI systems.

And that forces brands to ask themselves new questions:

• Does AI truly understand what we do?
• Are we relevant within the conversations happening in our industry?
• Are we building semantic authority or simply producing content?
• How do we measure our visibility within generative environments?

This is where technology, measurement and strategy come together again.

At Adsmurai, we have been working in this direction for some time: helping brands understand how new digital environments evolve and how to adapt before they become the standard.