In June 2026, OpenAI made its debut at the Cannes Lions advertising festival, pitching marketers on an advertising business built inside ChatGPT — a move seen as part of revenue diversification ahead of an initial public offering (IPO).
Cannes Lions 2026 · OpenAI
ChatGPT Goes Commercial: OpenAI Pitches Ads to Marketers Ahead of IPO
Once calling advertising a "last resort," OpenAI is now courting agencies directly — testing sponsored products in ChatGPT's free and Go tiers as it races to diversify revenue before going public.
$8
/month Go tier price, available across 171 countries
CPC
Cost-per-click bidding model with a new self-serve Ads Manager
~36%
Share of total revenue ads could reach by 2030
Projected ad revenue: 2026 → 2030
Same unit (US$ billions) — column height drawn to scale
~42× growth in four years — a bid to rival Google and Meta in conversational, intent-based advertising.
How the ads work
Where they appear
Labeled sponsored products & services below the answer, clearly separated from responses.
Who sees them
Free & Go tiers only. Not shown to Pro, Business or Enterprise users.
What's excluded
Under-18 accounts and sensitive topics like health and politics. EU ads are opt-in.
Supporters say
SMBs and startups gain discoverability beyond Google & Meta
Conversational recommendations and Q&A feel convenient
Self-serve tools lower the barrier to entry
Skeptics warn
Data-driven performance may lag Google & Meta
Risk to user experience, privacy and clear ROI
Doubts the independence of answers could hold
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