01/29/2026
Facebook’s first ad appeared in 2005. Then LinkedIn in 2006.
Fast forward two decades.
In 2026, we will see the first ChatGPT ad.
Here’s what you need to know:
They’re expensive! Roughly 3x the CPM of Meta ads. That immediately positions GPT as a premium advertising channel.
My read is that OpenAI is intentionally trying to keep the advertiser pool high-quality with reputable brands, avoiding what we’ve seen in other spaces (think NBA jersey logos slowly diluting trust with the wrong partners). User trust seems to be a high priority to OpenAI.
So yes, it’s a limited form of promotion for those who can afford it. However, I suspect ROAS will reflect that premium positioning.
At rollout, advertisers will be limited to impressions and clicks via the OpenAI Ads dashboard. OpenAI is prioritizing user privacy and ux, with the possibility of expanded analytics later. Third-party tracking still works on outbound GPT clicks, but with less preliminary auction data.
No impression share, no geo-data, no conversion tracking (yet).
I’m a 2000s kid. The last major shift in advertising I witnessed was the digital data and tracking movement.
AI ads will be more revolutionary.
This paradigm shift will be because intent-based marketing is back in an undiluted capacity (sorry google ads). And it’s being built on trust. Overall, this changes the game in a big way.
Look at how far social media advertising has come in 20 years.
Now imagine AI advertising in 10.
