OpenAI will begin testing a new type of ChatGPT ad later this month in the US for Free and Go users that appears while a user waits for ChatGPT to create an image they asked for. The new ads won’t always directly depend on the conversation or prompt, making them more similar to how display ads appear in various placements across the web, as opposed to immediately after a search.
The company wrote in its announcement:
“Our new visual ad format helps people imagine how products and services could fit into their lives. Through images showing product inspiration, product usage, or the experiences they make possible, people can discover a new brand, understand what makes an offering distinctive, and decide what to buy. For advertisers, this creates new opportunities to tell their story through images.”
OpenAI said the ads will be labeled, kept separate from the user’s image, and won’t influence ChatGPT’s answers. Until now, ChatGPT ads have run at the bottom of a conversation, either as a single unit with a headline, short description, image, and link, or as a carousel of products pulled from a retailer’s feed. This is the first time that OpenAI is venturing into an ad format that’s somewhat independent of the conversation at hand.
It’s a great idea.
They might as well monetize the space that users are intensely staring at while waiting for their image to finish. Right now it’s just a useless progress wheel.
Though I question what happens when OpenAI’s image-generation models become so fast that there is no wait. Will ChatGPT start to delay image generation long enough so it has enough time to show you an ad — the same way YouTube makes you wait 5 seconds before you can skip? I’d bet money on ‘Yes’ if the format proves to be a success.
I’d also bet ChatGPT starts showing ads at other times, such as while it’s generating long answers or while its agents are working. Might as well, right? OpenAI even wrote in the announcement that it would “initially” test the format during image generation, already opening the door to the possibility of additional placements in the future.
I don’t even blame them. AI loading screens are probably the most valuable untapped real estate online right now.
What are your thoughts? Join the conversation on my LinkedIn post.
