OpenAI announced a new visual advertising format for ChatGPT and a broad expansion of measurement tools and partner integrations to help advertisers assess campaign impact. The company says ChatGPT reaches 1.2 billion people each week, making it the largest AI-native consumer platform, and that advertising enables wider access beyond subscription revenue.
What is the visual ad format?
The new format uses images to help users imagine how products and services could fit into their lives. Images will show product inspiration, usage scenarios, or the experiences made possible by an offering, allowing users to discover new brands, understand distinguishing features, and make purchase decisions. For advertisers, the format opens new opportunities to tell visual stories.
Initially, OpenAI will test the format alongside ChatGPT’s image generation. Ads will be clearly labeled and kept separate from the images users create. OpenAI states that, as with other ad formats, advertising will not influence ChatGPT’s answers.
Testing will begin later this month in the United States with an initial group of advertisers.
Expanded measurement tools and integrations
OpenAI’s measurement approach supports both in-house and partner-led solutions. To facilitate advertiser measurement with existing systems, the company is expanding integrations and partnerships.
Key integrations and partners include:
- Hightouch, Tealium, and LiveRamp to simplify sending conversion data from advertisers’ existing systems to ChatGPT Ads.
- Support for leading attribution partners across web and app environments, including AppsFlyer, Triple Whale, Adjust, DV Rockerbox, Northbeam, Branch, Singular, Kochava, Airbridge, and Tenjin.
- Partnerships with full-funnel and advanced measurement providers such as Fospha, Measured, and INCRMNTAL.
Incrementality and early partner results
Measuring incrementality is a priority for understanding causal business impact. While this work is in early stages, OpenAI is partnering with Haus, Measured, and WorkMagic to run geo-based experiments that aim to quantify the causal effects of ChatGPT Ads.
Early partner findings cited by OpenAI include:
- DV Rockerbox reported that for WeightWatchers, the attributed cost per acquisition on ChatGPT Ads was 15.3% lower than its blended paid-search benchmark.
- WorkMagic measured statistically significant lift for wellness brand Dose, finding that 67% of incremental purchases came from net-new customers.
- Triple Whale reported that 93% of Portland Leather’s visitors from ChatGPT Ads were new.
Brand suitability and safeguards
Confidence in advertising also depends on understanding the contexts in which ads appear. OpenAI’s advertising policies and placement guardrails are designed to protect users, maintain trust, and give brands greater confidence in ad placement. These guardrails evaluate whether a conversation is appropriate for advertising and aim to keep ads out of emotionally vulnerable, sensitive, or otherwise unsuitable contexts.
Automated review, human oversight, and ongoing monitoring are used to detect and address policy violations and to improve safeguards over time. For brand-specific placement requirements, a Negative Phrases feature is now available to qualifying advertisers.
OpenAI is also running brand suitability evaluation pilots with DoubleVerify (DV) and Integral Ad Science (IAS). These pilots allow independent partners to assess how brand safety standards are applied in a controlled testing environment without accessing private user conversations, aiming to increase transparency for advertisers while preserving conversation privacy.
Summary and next steps
According to OpenAI, the new visual ad format will help users discover and envision products and services, while the measurement and brand suitability expansions will help businesses evaluate ad performance and trust placement contexts. These updates align with the company’s ad principles: ChatGPT’s answers remain independent, conversations stay private, and users control their experience.
The announcements are part of OpenAI’s broader goal to help people discover options and make decisions within ChatGPT. The company plans to continue evolving its ad platform with additional formats and capabilities intended to help businesses of all sizes reach customers usefully and relevantly.
Businesses can sign up for advertising at ads.openai.com.
