OpenAI: $100 Million in 6 Weeks with ChatGPT

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Key Takeaways

1OpenAI generated $100 million in annualized revenue in six weeks with its advertising pilot on ChatGPT.

2Less than 20% of ChatGPT users see ads, but advertiser interest is strong with over 600 participants.

3The cost per thousand impressions is $60, significantly higher than Meta's average, but the click-through rate remains below 1%.

💡Why it matters — OpenAI's enormous financial success could encourage other AI players to integrate advertising to monetize their platforms.

OpenAI: A Profitable Advertising Test

OpenAI recently launched a pilot advertising program on ChatGPT in February, which quickly demonstrated its lucrative potential. In just six weeks, this test generated annualized revenues of $100 million. This success was achieved despite the fact that less than 20% of ChatGPT users actually see advertisements.

A Promising Advertising Strategy

OpenAI's advertising program, initially designed as a cautious test, has attracted over 600 advertisers. Ads are currently visible to free users and "Go" subscribers, who pay a monthly fee of €8. About 85% of these users are eligible to see ads, although only a minority view them daily. The advertisements appear at the bottom of the responses generated by ChatGPT and are clearly identified, without interfering with the content.

Significant Growth Potential

OpenAI plans to expand this advertising program to other countries, including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. A self-service access for advertisers is also expected in April. David Dugan, a former executive at Meta, has been appointed to lead the global commercial team to support this expansion. The cost per thousand impressions is approximately $60, a rate three times higher than that of Meta, but the click-through rate remains below 1%, well below the 6% observed on Google Search.

Nearly 80% of small and medium-sized businesses contacted have expressed interest in this program. OpenAI refers to a "learning" phase and assures that it has not observed any impact on trust indicators. Initially scheduled to end in April, the program has been extended.

A Model Disrupting the Competition

The rapid success of this advertising model puts pressure on other players in the industry. Google, for instance, had promised not to include ads in its Gemini model but may reconsider its position in light of these results. Microsoft, which is already using sponsored links in Copilot via Bing, may also ramp up its efforts.

Anthropic, on the other hand, has chosen to differentiate itself by refusing to integrate advertising, preferring to focus on subscriptions and professional use. Anthropic has made the absence of advertising a clear selling point during the Super Bowl. However, this strategy limits the potential monetization of millions of free users.

A Turning Point for the AI Industry

The figure of $100 million in just six weeks shows that advertising in conversational AI is no longer a mere hypothesis but an economic reality. For OpenAI's competitors, the question is no longer whether they will integrate advertising, but when they will do so to avoid falling behind.