What to know
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ChatGPT ads are being pitched at about $60 per 1,000 impressions (a $60 CPM).
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Reporting is expected to be high-level (impressions and clicks), with limited conversion/attribution detail.
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Ads are positioned as a premium, trust-first placement inside AI conversations.
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Early availability is expected on free and lower-cost tiers, with some exclusions (e.g., under-18 users, sensitive topics).
OpenAI is reportedly pitching early ChatGPT ad inventory at roughly $60 CPM, framing it as premium, high-attention placement but with limited measurement and reporting. This is far above common social CPM benchmarks and closer to “premium TV” pricing analogies in the trade press.
How the ads are expected to be sold and measured
Early pitches describe an impression-based model, with advertisers primarily getting high-level metrics like total impressions and clicks. Reporting is described as limited compared with major ad platforms, with little to no visibility into downstream actions like purchases.
Where ads may appear and who may see them
Initial rollouts may appear in ChatGPT with placements such as ads shown at the bottom of responses, and rolling out first to users on free and lower-cost tiers (with paid tiers more likely to be excluded). Reported guardrails include excluding users under 18 and excluding certain sensitive-topic conversations (such as mental health or politics).
The core bet is that ad placement inside conversational AI delivers high attention and shows up earlier in a consumer’s decision process, which OpenAI is using to justify higher CPMs.
The tradeoff is that performance-focused advertisers may struggle to validate ROI without query-level context and conversion measurement.
If measurement expands (without exposing personal conversation data), CPMs could become easier for advertisers to justify and optimize. If measurement stays “TV-like,” early spend may skew toward brand tests and large advertisers comfortable paying for experimentation.
