OpenAI Begins ChatGPT Ad Tests With Target, Adobe Among First Participants

OpenAI is using advertising to broaden ChatGPT's revenue base, targeting free users who account for about 94% of its user base and extending ads to the lower-priced Go plan. The move turns conversations into a channel for product recommendations and brand exposure, while bringing generative AI further into a digital advertising market dominated by Google and Meta.

OpenAI launched its first ChatGPT advertising tests in the United States in 2026, using a cost-per-click (CPC) model for Free and Go users. Other paid plans remain ad-free. Target will place ads through its retail media business, Roundel, with Adobe and other brands also joining the initial test. Neither first-wave budgets nor per-click rates have been disclosed.