ChatGPT Ads Have Launched

The numbers behind ChatGPT advertising

OpenAI launched advertising inside ChatGPT on 9 February 2026. The publicly reported details:

• $60 CPM (cost per thousand impressions) at launch, comparable to premium search placements. Reports indicate OpenAI later moved towards a cost-per-click model as the launch CPM softened.
• Free and $8/month Go users see ads. Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Education tiers remain ad-free.
• Contextual targeting matched to the topic of the current conversation, rather than demographic or third-party data.
• CNBC reported in late March 2026 that the ad business had passed $100M in annual recurring revenue, less than two months after launch.

The growth has been fast by industry standards, and OpenAI has set ambitious public revenue targets for the years ahead. We are not going to overstate it with comparisons we cannot verify, but the direction of travel is clear: AI search is being monetised quickly.

How ChatGPT ads work

Ads appear as sponsored results within conversational responses. They match the user's query context. A user asking "what is the best AI SEO tool?" may now see a sponsored recommendation alongside organic citations.

This differs from traditional search advertising. In Google, ads sit above or beside organic results. In ChatGPT, ads are woven into the conversational answer itself. The line between paid and organic is thinner than ever.

What this means for organic AI visibility

The introduction of ads changes the calculus for AI search optimisation in several ways.

Organic citations still exist. ChatGPT continues to cite sources in its responses. Ads add to these citations rather than replacing them. Being cited organically remains valuable. Users will start telling paid and earned mentions apart.

High-intent queries are now monetised. Comparison queries, product research, and "best of" questions attract advertising. If your business relies on being cited in these conversations, you now face paid competition.

$60 CPM into high-intent comparison queries is significant. For B2B and professional services, this CPM may represent strong value. A single conversion from a ChatGPT ad could be worth thousands. Expect early adopters to test this aggressively.

What to do about it

The organic opportunity has not disappeared, but it has become more competitive. Businesses should focus on:

• Earning organic citations through original research and authoritative content, so you appear alongside (not instead of) paid results
• Testing ChatGPT advertising if you operate in high-value comparison categories
• Monitoring citation patterns to understand how ads affect your organic visibility
• Reading our full industry report on how AI search monetisation is reshaping visibility

The era of purely organic AI search is ending. Understanding how paid and organic interact will define the next phase of AI search optimisation.