OpenAI has no intention of turning a profit anytime soon. In fact, it expects to lose $44 billion by 2029. But this isn’t reckless spending — it’s long-game strategy. Rather than monetising early, OpenAI is building a signal-rich, high-engagement ecosystem that advertisers will eventually find irresistible. We’ve seen the same freemium playbook being used by Netflix, Amazon, and Disney+: scale fast, grow the audience, then turn on the ad tap – so are ChatGPT ads on the horizon?
OpenAI is already inching toward commerce. This May, ChatGPT launched shopping capabilities, offering personalised product recommendations, reviews, price comparisons, and direct buy links — all from within the chat interface. Right now, these results can’t be bought. They’re earned through AI-driven SEO and high-quality, AI-readable content. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has openly dismissed ads, but as ChatGPT is increasingly poised for an ad business model, what could they look like?
As Chris Pearce, Managing Director EMEA & US, explains to Digiday
ChatGPT’s power lies in conversation, not clicks… that opens the door to intent-led, integrated, possibly native ad formats that feel more like recommendations than banners. Think sponsored answers that are transparently marked, or priority product placements that align with user context.
Still, scaling a global ad business won’t be easy. OpenAI must navigate complex regulations, regional behaviours, and market maturity gaps each requiring tailored infrastructure and strategies.
But perhaps its biggest challenge is trust. Users have come to expect ChatGPT to be an unbiased, utility-first tool – a source of clear, agenda-free recommendations. The moment ads enter the picture, that expectation becomes a minefield. Balancing commercial opportunity with the platform’s core experience, as well as OpenAI’s stated mission to ensure AGI “benefits all of humanity” will require extreme transparency and restraint. Because if trust erodes, so does everything else.
Read the full article at Digiday.
