OpenAI is introducing visual display ads that will appear alongside the images users generate with ChatGPT, marking a new step in the company’s ad‑supported strategy.

The new ad format will begin to roll out later this month, initially limited to users in the United States. Ads will be shown only to a test group of advertisers and will be clearly labeled so users can distinguish them from the generated content. OpenAI emphasizes that the ads will not influence the answers or image outputs provided by ChatGPT.

This development follows the launch of Meta’s Muse, a free agentic AI app that has emerged as a competitor to leading chatbots such as ChatGPT. Earlier this year OpenAI launched ads to support its free and low‑cost subscription tiers, and expanded the program to India in August. The company now aims to attract online advertisers who want to use visual storytelling to reach potential customers, with the eventual goal of serving ads to ChatGPT’s 1.2 billion weekly users worldwide.

OpenAI acknowledges that inserting ads into the image generation flow could disrupt the user experience, but views this as a potential lever to encourage casual users to upgrade to a paid subscription for an ad‑free environment.

Alongside the display ads, OpenAI is broadening its measurement and partner ecosystem. The updated list of click‑attribution solutions includes AppsFlyer, Triple Whale, Adjust, DV Rockertbox, Northbeam, Branch, Singular, Kochava, Airbridge and Tenjin. For full‑funnel, advanced measurement the company is working with Fospha, Measured and INCRMNTAL.

OpenAI has also teamed up with Haus, Measured and WorkMagic to help advertisers run geo‑based experiments that test ad performance across different regions. To address brand safety, the firm is piloting brand suitability evaluations with DoubleVerify (DV) and Integral Ad Science (IAS), which will give advertisers clearer insight into how their ads appear alongside ChatGPT‑generated content.

Taken together, these moves show OpenAI’s effort to turn ChatGPT into a viable ad‑supported business for users on free and low‑cost plans, while maintaining transparency and protecting the core experience.