OpenAI is accelerating the commercialization of its advertising business. Latest information shows that the company has begun sending invitations to more potential advertisers, allowing them to run targeted ads among free ChatGPT users in specific regions. This move marks OpenAI's transition from early limited testing to a broader self-service model, further exploring how to achieve sustainable monetization while maintaining user experience.

Ad targeting and core parameters: Currently, advertisers can target free ChatGPT users in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. These regions are key markets for OpenAI's ad testing, and users will see naturally integrated ads when interacting with ChatGPT, exploring options, comparing choices, and making decisions.

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The platform sets a minimum daily budget of $25 and suggests a CPC (cost per click) of around $3.5. This pricing reflects OpenAI's shift from an early high-barrier CPM model to a more flexible CPC bidding approach, aiming to attract advertisers of all sizes. In earlier trials, the suggested CPC range was typically between $3 and $5, aligning with premium positioning in high-intent conversational environments.

From closed testing to self-service openness: OpenAI's advertising journey began in February 2026, initially conducting small-scale tests in the United States for free and Go plan users. Ads were clearly labeled and strictly separated from ChatGPT's core responses. User conversation privacy was not affected, and personal conversation content was not shared with advertisers. The company emphasized that ads would not affect AI response quality and provided users with choice (such as upgrading subscriptions to remove ads).

In May, OpenAI launched the Ads Manager self-service platform, significantly lowering entry barriers. Previously, pilot stages had high minimum spending requirements (such as $50,000), but now it is open for self-registration by U.S. advertisers without high commitments for testing. This change, combined with integrations with ad tech partners like Criteo, as well as subsequent support for third-party measurement and CPA bidding options, further enhances the platform's practicality.

The official website of the advertising platform (ads.openai.com) emphasizes its core advantage: the high-intent context of ChatGPT users. Users are not passively browsing but actively exploring and making decisions, providing advertisers with rich signals beyond traditional keywords, enabling more relevant and personalized targeting. Early participants such as Best Buy have reported positive results.

Strategic significance and industry impact: This move is significant for OpenAI. While the free tier of ChatGPT attracts hundreds of millions of users, maintaining high-performance infrastructure requires continuous substantial investment. Through advertising revenue, the company can expand features without compromising free access, while exploring the future form of AI-native advertising. OpenAI had set a 2026 advertising revenue target of about $2.5 billion, and this expansion invitation serves this ambition.

For advertisers, this opens up a unique high-quality traffic pool, especially suitable for brands that want to intervene at the moment of user decision-making, such as consumer electronics, retail, and financial services. Compared to traditional search or social ads, the contextual depth of the ChatGPT environment may bring higher relevance and conversion potential, but it also raises higher demands on creativity and compliance - ads must be useful, non-disruptive, and meet strict privacy standards.

User experience and privacy protection: OpenAI repeatedly emphasizes that user trust comes first: ads are clearly labeled, independent of AI responses, users can control data usage, and paid users (such as Plus/Pro) are usually unaffected. The company will continue to iterate based on test feedback to ensure that ads support free access without damaging ChatGPT's core value as a reliable tool.

As the invitation scope expands, more advertisers will have the opportunity to test this emerging platform. Marketers suggest starting with small budgets for testing, focusing on conversion after clicks, and optimizing with their own website pixels. OpenAI's advertising expansion reflects the balance exploration of AI giants between technological innovation and business sustainability. In the future, whether this platform becomes a mainstream advertising channel depends on actual ROI performance, user acceptance, and changes in the regulatory environment. Advertisers can follow updates and registration opportunities through ads.openai.com.