OpenAI
ChatGPT image ads explained: what OpenAI is testing in the US
OpenAI will show sponsored cards while ChatGPT generates your images, and has added new partners to measure ads and check brand safety.
The answer
OpenAI will test visual ads shown during ChatGPT image generation in the US later in October.
If you use ChatGPT to make images in the US, you may soon see an ad while you wait. OpenAI said it will test a new visual ad format, starting with image generation, and has also added partners to measure how well its ads work.
What happened
On 5 October 2026, OpenAI announced it will test "a new visual ad format in ChatGPT" starting "later this month in the US with an initial group of advertisers".
The first placement is during image generation. While ChatGPT makes your image, a sponsored card appears. It can include product photos, a carousel (a row of images you can swipe through) and a "Learn more" button. The card is labelled as an ad and is separate from the image itself.
OpenAI said ads can "use images to show product inspiration, how a product is used, or experiences associated with a service." The company's own description of the aim: "Our new visual ad format helps people imagine how products and services could fit into their lives."
OpenAI also expanded the tools advertisers can use to check results:
- Conversion data: integrations with Hightouch, Tealium and LiveRamp.
- Attribution (tracking which ads led to a sale): partners including AppsFlyer, Triple Whale, Adjust, DV Rockerbox, Northbeam, Branch, Singular and Kochava.
- Incrementality tests (checking whether an ad caused a purchase that wouldn't have happened anyway): Haus, Measured and WorkMagic.
- Brand-suitability pilots (checking ads appear in suitable places): DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science.
OpenAI also shared results from advertisers. WeightWatchers' cost per acquisition (what it pays to win a customer) on ChatGPT Ads was 15.3% lower than its blended paid-search benchmark. Dose saw 67% of incremental purchases come from net-new customers, and Portland Leather said 93% of visitors from ChatGPT Ads were new. These figures come from OpenAI's announcement. Search Engine Roundtable also covered the test.
What it means for you
If you use ChatGPT in the US on a plan that shows ads, image generation is where you are likely to see the new format first. OpenAI says ads will be "clearly labeled, and remain separate from the image being created."
OpenAI also says: "As with our other ad formats, advertising does not influence the answers ChatGPT provides." It says guardrails keep ads away from sensitive or emotionally vulnerable conversations.
Pro, Business and Enterprise plans stay ad-free. OpenAI puts ChatGPT at 1.2 billion weekly users, and ads already run in 31 European countries.
The notes from OpenAI do not say how many people will see the test, or how long it will run. Because it begins with an initial group of advertisers, you may not see these ads straight away.
What happens next
The test is due to start later in October in the US, with image generation as the first placement. OpenAI has not said in this announcement whether the format will move to other parts of ChatGPT, or to other countries.
Sources
- New ChatGPT ads format and measurement — OpenAI, 5 October 2026
- OpenAI Testing Visual ChatGPT Ad Format — Search Engine Roundtable, 5 October 2026