OpenAI is expanding its advertising program within ChatGPT, now offering a beta self-serve “Ads Manager” to businesses in the United States. This move represents a significant step beyond the initial pilot phase, with four of the world’s largest advertising holding companies, Dentsu, Omnicom, Publicis, and WPP, already collaborating with OpenAI to support businesses purchasing ads. The new Ads Manager allows advertisers to directly manage campaigns, set budgets, and upload creative assets, laying the groundwork for a broader ads platform built around how people use ChatGPT. A key component of this expansion is the introduction of cost-per-click (CPC) bidding, enabling advertisers to align spending with user engagement while ensuring user privacy by not sharing conversations or personal details.
Expanded Access via Partner Integrations & Self-Serve Tools
This collaborative approach extends to technology partners including Adobe, Criteo, Kargo, Pacvue, and StackAdapt, allowing advertisers to integrate ChatGPT campaigns into existing workflows for budgeting, bidding, and creative development; OpenAI retains control over ad delivery decisions within this ecosystem. The company is now broadening access further with the beta launch of a self-serve “Ads Manager” currently available to advertisers in the US, a crucial step towards establishing a comprehensive advertising platform directly within ChatGPT. This new Ads Manager facilitates campaign management for businesses of all sizes, enabling registration, payment setup, budget allocation, ad uploads, and performance monitoring through a single portal. OpenAI is incrementally expanding access to the Ads Manager as it continues to refine the user experience.
Beyond access, the company is also introducing cost-per-click (CPC) bidding, moving beyond the initial cost-per-mille (CPM) model used during the pilot program. OpenAI states that “many ChatGPT conversations are active and decision-oriented,” making clicks a more meaningful metric than impressions alone. Advertisers will only be charged upon a click, and the company intends to support additional bidding options in the future. To improve campaign performance insights, OpenAI has launched Conversions API and pixel-based measurement tools, allowing advertisers to track outcomes like purchases or sign-ups without accessing individual user conversations. These tools are designed to improve measurement while protecting user privacy. These developments underscore OpenAI’s commitment to balancing advertising revenue with its stated principles of user privacy and control.
Transition from CPM to Cost-Per-Click (CPC) Bidding
The expansion of advertising within ChatGPT is now accompanied by a shift in bidding strategies, moving beyond initial cost-per-mille (CPM) models to incorporate cost-per-click (CPC) bidding, a change reflecting the evolving nature of user interaction with the AI. Alongside agency partnerships, technology partners such as Adobe, Criteo, Kargo, Pacvue, and StackAdapt have been added to support existing advertiser workflows. A beta self-serve “Ads Manager” is now available in the US, enabling direct ad purchases and campaign management, and providing tools for businesses of all sizes to grow their businesses via ChatGPT. The company emphasizes that advertisers are only charged based on a click outcome, and that user privacy is maintained; conversations and personal data are not shared. According to the company, “Better measurement helps advertisers understand performance, and also helps improve the experience for people using ChatGPT,” highlighting the dual benefit of this approach.
OpenAI is refining its advertising platform within ChatGPT by prioritizing detailed performance metrics, moving beyond initial impressions-based models to provide advertisers with a more nuanced understanding of campaign effectiveness. Stronger signals derived from these measurements will not only refine ad relevance but also improve the quality of ad matching and build optimization systems accountable to real outcomes, rather than simply impressions.
