OpenAI is expanding its ChatGPT advertising business toward small and local businesses, such as car washes and dry cleaners, a shift that puts it in direct competition with Meta, according to The Information. After launching ads in February with big brands and a $200,000 minimum commitment, OpenAI has dropped up-front spending requirements and rolled out a self-service ad-buying portal in the U.S. for businesses of any size. It is also introducing conversion-oriented ads, which advertisers pay for only when they get results, plus an ad pixel and API so advertisers can track what users do after clicking. The company has signaled it could later link merchant product feeds to ad campaigns, potentially repurposing work from its scrapped in-chat checkout feature. OpenAI has told investors it expects $2.4B in ad revenue this year, scaling to $102B by 2030.
