OpenAI has begun offering advertising placements within its chatbot to a select group of marketers, marking a significant shift in its business model, according to a report by The Information.
The report said OpenAI is inviting dozens of advertisers to participate in a trial period lasting several weeks, with individual spending commitments below $1 million. Ads are expected to begin appearing in early February and will be priced based on the number of views rather than clicks. Reuters could not independently verify the report, and OpenAI did not immediately comment.
OpenAI is reportedly still developing tools that would allow advertisers to buy ads directly through a self-service system. For now, the process is being handled more manually as the company tests demand and format. The move follows OpenAI’s recent decision to begin showing ads to some U.S. users, as it looks to diversify revenue beyond subscriptions.
The push into advertising underscores growing pressure on OpenAI to fund the rising costs of AI development and data center infrastructure. Backed by Microsoft, the company is widely expected to pursue a public listing in the future, increasing the need for scalable and predictable revenue streams.