By Seongmin K

Published 2026.09.02. 00:34

OpenAI logo and ChatGPT screen. /Newsis

OpenAI, which attached advertisements to its generative AI, ChatGPT, surpassed an annualized sales figure of 1 billion dollars (approximately 1.37 trillion Korean won) in about 200 days. Unlike traditional keyword-based search ads, the approach of AI understanding users' conversational intent and offering personalized products has proven effective.

According to OpenAI, the ChatGPT ad service, which began in the U.S. last February, is currently being applied to subscribers of the free and low-cost "Go" plan in over 40 countries, including North America and Europe. The annualized sales from ChatGPT ads to date amount to 1 billion dollars, accounting for 2.5% of OpenAI's total service annualized sales, 40 billion dollars.

The secret to this success lies in conversation context-based advertising. The AI analyzes users' conversational intent or context in real-time to suggest personalized products. For example, if a user is considering a vacation destination or asking about home interior design, product ads are displayed based on personal preferences or conditions revealed during the conversation. For users who allow personalized ads, appropriate advertisements are recommended based on more ChatGPT usage patterns, such as past conversations and memory. OpenAI stated, "Users experience a combination of exploration, review, and decision-making through ChatGPT," and "Some advertisers achieved three times the revenue by running ads for 28 days."

The industry interprets this disclosure of performance as a showcase of achievements with a future initial public offering, IPO, in mind. While competitor Anthropic declared "no ads" for its model Claude, and Google hesitates to introduce ads in Gemini due to concerns about shrinking the search market, OpenAI emphasizes its success in establishing a large-scale revenue model. There are also interpretations that OpenAI has played the "reversal card" of advertising business as criticisms continue that subscription fees alone are insufficient to cover AI server construction and operational costs.

Concerns about personal information breaches remain challenges to be addressed. OpenAI stated, "Conversation content is not directly transmitted to advertisers, and responses and ads are strictly separated." Experts said, "Mitigating resistance to the commercial use of AI conversation context will be a turning point for future growth."