ChatGPT: 33% of Ads Off-Topic, 68% Lacking Intent

About six months after the launch of advertisements in ChatGPT, Searchable reports that one-third of the ads remain unrelated to the discussion, and the majority are displayed without any detectable purchase intent. Performance varies significantly across sectors, while OpenAI, through Denise Dresser, stated in June that the ad rejection rate by users has been halved since February and considers this rejection as an indicator of relevance.

Six months after launch, the share of off-topic ads remains close to one-third

Searchable conducted its study over a month, approximately six months after the introduction of ads, and indicates that the share of ads unrelated to the conversation has remained around one-third, with no positive change, even as the number of ads displayed increased. Denise Dresser, who was then the revenue director at OpenAI, claimed in June that the ad rejection rate by ChatGPT users had been reduced by half since their launch in February, with OpenAI using this rate as a measure of relevance. The advertising activity began in February.

Sectors show disparities: 47% to 23% irrelevance

Searchable reports that 47% of ads in marketing and B2B services and 45% in software/SaaS were irrelevant, the highest rates recorded. The best targeting, according to the same source, comes from data brokers and fund verifications at 50%, travel at 43%, and automotive at 42%. No sector achieved a direct relevance match more than once in two attempts. In insurance, 23% of ads were off-topic and 11% were direct matches; about two-thirds fell into the contextual category, related to a life event mentioned in the exchange.

Searchable analyzes 11,000+ ads in one month

Searchable, an AI visibility platform, reports having studied over 11,000 ads actually displayed in ChatGPT between July 4 and August 4, 2026, linking each insertion to its conversation and then judging relevance based on user demand. Three categories structure the evaluation: 33% of the ads were irrelevant, 27% matched exactly the sought product, and 40% were contextually anchored in a previous element related to the current question. Viewed by conversation, 40% of discussions containing ads had at least one unrelated ad, and 28% displayed only off-topic ads. Furthermore, 68% of insertions occurred in exchanges where no signal of purchase intent, booking, engagement, or comparison was present.

The platform targets via contextual cues in chats

The advertising display of ChatGPT relies on contextual cues described by advertisers, which OpenAI matches to an ongoing conversation. This targeting operates within an AI engine also used for writing, studying, problem-solving, or structuring personal reflection.