OpenAI (OPENAI) is charging prices that rival those for video programs like the NFL and above what competitors like Meta Platforms’ (META) social media apps charge, the Information reported.
However, unlike Meta or Alphabet’s (GOOG) (GOOGL) Google, OpenAI will not be providing detailed information about the query responses accompanying their ads or if ads prompted ChatGPT users to take an action, like purchasing something, the report added.
Microsoft (MSFT)-backed OpenAI may introduce that data over time, but it will need to include more sophisticated ad tools that could take time to set up. This highlights the work that likely remains for the AI startup to build an ad business that could rival the largest sellers of ads, according to the report.
OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Seeking Alpha.
OpenAI has informed early advertisers that it will give them data about impressions, or how many views an ad gets, and how many total clicks it gets, a media buyer working with some of the advertisers said, the report noted. Advertisers will get high-level insights such as total ad views, an OpenAI spokesperson confirmed. This is similar to what TV networks offer.
However, a key reason why Google and Meta have overtaken the TV industry to become the biggest ad sellers in the past 20 years is that they offer advertisers detailed information that allows marketers to measure what they get for their ad spending. Over time, advertisers would expect OpenAI to start using complex ad technology, which gives advertisers more targeted information about the ChatGPT users seeing their ads, and if an ad leads to a purchase, the report added.
Earlier this month, OpenAI said it would start testing ads in the free tier and ChatGPT Go in the U.S. soon. However, ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans will remain ad-free. Last week, The Information reported that OpenAI (OPENAI) started offering new chatbot ads to dozens of advertisers. The trial targets a few advertisers with spending commitments under $1M each over a several-week trial period, with ads expected to launch in early February.
Selling ads is a vital part of the company’s efforts to generate $11B in annual revenue from nonpaying ChatGPT users by the end of next year, the report noted.
To seek the first batch of ads, OpenAI’s enterprise partnerships team reached out to many potential advertisers, instead of approaching them through their ad agencies, said the media buyer. Some of the advertisers that signed on include existing business customers of OpenAI and large, well-known companies across categories, the media buyer added. Meta and Google rely mainly on small businesses to purchase their ads, the report noted.
For its initial ads, which will appear below ChatGPT responses, OpenAI is aiming for a price of about $60 for every 1,000 views an ad gets, according to the buyer. This rate is on par with targeted streaming and premium TV inventory like live NFL games, analysts say. Meta’s cost per 1,000 views, by comparison, is usually below $20, according to the report.
The initial ads are a starting point, and the company could change its approach after it starts testing, the report noted.
The OpenAI spokesperson said the company has established a dedicated ad sales team as it works to build the business and that OpenAI had used its enterprise partnership team to start on advertiser outreach, the report noted.
The pilot is not limited to existing OpenAI clients, the spokesperson added. OpenAI is in the early stages of using major ad agencies, which often plan long-term media spending for large brands, to recruit new advertisers, a second advertising industry source said, the report added.
OpenAI is not yet working with ad tech firms to sell or manage ad placements, said the media buyer, the report noted.
Another way OpenAI could ultimately provide clearer ad outcomes is by tying ads more closely to a checkout feature it started adding inside ChatGPT in September 2025. In theory, combining ads with in-chat checkout could pave the way for shoppable ads, the report added.
For now, OpenAI’s checkout feature offers a way to generate revenue when ChatGPT leads directly to a sale — instead of paying for clicks or impressions, merchants pay a fee when a purchase is concluded. Starting this week, most U.S. merchants using Shopify will be able to opt in to selling their products through ChatGPT, in exchange for paying OpenAI a 4% cut of sales after a free trial period, the report noted.
The initial checkout rollout has in part targeted smaller online shops and direct-to-consumer brands, which tend to depend more on digital ads from Meta and Google and ads on Amazon to drive sales. The Shopify integration makes it easy for those merchants to test the channel, said Olivia Kory, chief strategy officer at marketing analytics firm Haus, and a former marketing executive at Netflix and Quibi. Kory also works with direct-to-consumer brands, including Mejuri and Jones Road Beauty, the report added.