OpenAI plans to launch a test of a new advertising format for free-tier ChatGPT users in the US at the end of October. The ads will appear during image generation — instead of just waiting for the neural network output, users will see what sponsors offer.

Where OpenAI previously limited itself to text blocks with a company name and logo, users will now see full images of products and services. The company promises the ads will be placed separately from the AI-created image and will not affect chatbot responses or interfere with communication.

This is a logical step for a company whose advertising business reportedly hit $1 billion in revenue in August 2026, with a strategic goal of $100 billion in ad revenue by 2030. While some competitors are abandoning the ad model for user trust, OpenAI is moving the other way.

October reporting filled in the business context behind the test. ChatGPT's weekly active users have reached 1.2 billion, while OpenAI's advertising business surpassed $1 billion in annualized revenue as of August 2026. Internally, the company is forecasting $2.5 billion in ad revenue for the full year and has set a long-term goal of $100 billion by 2030 — at which point ads would account for 36% of total revenue, a sign that subscriptions alone can't fund the AGI compute bill.