OpenAI has indeed made a bold move into digital advertising, reportedly setting a premium price of $60 per 1,000 impressions (CPM) for ads within ChatGPT.
This pricing, leaked via The Information on January 26, 2026, is roughly triple the typical rates for Meta and comparable to high-value live sports inventory like the NFL.
1. The $60 CPM Gamble: High Cost, Low Data
OpenAI’s pricing strategy is a massive test of whether “conversational intent” is more valuable than traditional data tracking.
- Premium Pricing: At $60 CPM, OpenAI is asking for a significant premium compared to Meta (typically under $20 CPM) and Google Search.
- The “Catch”: Unlike Google or Meta, OpenAI is reportedly providing minimal tracking data. Advertisers currently only receive basic metrics like views and clicks, with no conversion or purchase tracking to protect user privacy.
- Entry Barrier: Early reports suggest OpenAI is asking a small pool of trial advertisers for spending commitments of just under $1 million each.
2. Where and How Ads Appear
OpenAI is introducing ads as a “last resort” to offset staggering compute costs, which reportedly led to a $14 billion projected loss in 2025 despite $20 billion in revenue.
| Ad Feature | Implementation Details (Jan 2026) |
| Placement | Clearly labeled “Sponsored” modules at the bottom of the interface, separate from the AI response. |
| Answer Independence | A strict policy ensuring ads do not influence or appear within the AI’s actual prose. |
| Target Tiers | Ads appear for Free users and the new $8/month “ChatGPT Go” tier. |
| Ad-Free Tiers | ChatGPT Plus ($20), Pro ($200), Business, and Enterprise remain entirely ad-free. |
| Contextual Triggers | Ads are triggered by the current conversation topic, not a long-term behavioral profile. |
3. Safety and Privacy Safeguards
To maintain user trust, OpenAI has established several “No-Ad” zones:
- Sensitive Topics: Ads are prohibited in conversations involving health, mental health, or politics.
- Minor Protection: No ads are served to users under the age of 18.
- No Data Selling: OpenAI maintains its promise that it will never sell user chat logs or identities to third-party brokers.
4. Strategic Context: Competitive Pressure
The move has drawn criticism from competitors, notably Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, who stated that Google has “no plans” to put ads in Gemini, warning that mixing ads with conversational AI needs “extreme care” to avoid bias.
However, analysts at Evercore ISI suggest that if successful, OpenAI’s ad business could grow into a $25 billion annual revenue stream by 2030, effectively doubling the company’s current valuation-to-revenue ratio.
Conclusion: A Shift from CPC to CPM
By choosing an impression-based (CPM) model over the traditional pay-per-click (CPC) model used by Google, OpenAI is acknowledging a fundamental truth of AI: users come for answers, not to leave the site. The $60 CPM is a bet that being present at the “moment of decision” in a chat is worth more than a thousand clicks elsewhere.
