OpenAI’s ChatGPT ad experiment surpasses $100 million run rate in early phase

OpenAI’s early-stage advertising pilot on ChatGPT has crossed an annualised revenue run rate of $100 million within just six weeks of its launch in the United States, according to sources familiar with the development.

The pilot, rolled out earlier this year, introduces ads to a segment of users on the free tier and lower-priced subscription plans of ChatGPT. The company has emphasised that these ads are displayed separately from core responses and do not influence the outputs generated by the AI.

Currently, about 85% of users are eligible to see ads, though fewer than 20% are exposed to them on a daily basis leaving significant headroom for scaling monetisation within the existing user base.

OpenAI stated that the pilot has so far shown “no impact on consumer trust metrics,” alongside low ad dismissal rates and improving relevance as the system learns from user feedback.

Building on early momentum, the company is preparing to expand the ad pilot beyond the U.S. into markets such as Australia, New Zealand, and Canada in the coming weeks.

To date, OpenAI has onboarded more than 600 advertisers, with strong participation from small and medium-sized businesses. It is also set to roll out self-serve advertising tools in April, enabling brands to manage campaigns directly.

As part of its push into advertising, the company has appointed David Dugan to lead its global advertising solutions team.

Industry analysts suggest that advertising could become a significant revenue stream for OpenAI, although it may also invite scrutiny around maintaining user trust as monetisation efforts expand.