OpenAI partner frustrated: Advertising in ChatGPT is slow to gain momentum

While Claude operator Anthropic has excluded advertising on its platform and Google is still holding back, OpenAI has recently pushed forward. On February 9, 2026, the ChatGPT inventor launched his advertising program.

Expensive test of advertising in ChatGPT

Since then, selected users of the AI ​​chatbot have been shown advertising. Major advertising agencies such as WPP, Omnicom and Dentsu are taking part in the test program. Anyone who wants to be there will have to shell out between $200,000 and $250,000. That’s twice as much as is usually the case with such test formats, as CNBC reports.

OpenAI is proceeding carefully with its test introduction in order to slowly expose users to advertisements and optimize the user experience. Although intended and communicated, the conservative ad rollout is making the early companies involved uneasy, insiders told CNBC.

Expectations of some customers disappointed

Accordingly, “many partners” are frustrated. After all, they would not be able to spend the planned budget by the end of March. They would get the remaining money back. However, this could no longer be used for any other purpose in the current quarter, according to the accusation.

Some advertisers are also said to have complained that the findings from the test program did not correspond to the expected quantity and quality. However, not all participating companies see this so critically. The Japanese advertising group Dentsu, for example, said that it was still very interested in a partnership with OpenAI in order to further test and develop the offer.

OpenAI has increased the pace

Most recently, OpenAI is said to have significantly increased the pace of introducing ChatGPT ads. According to the analysis company Sensor Tower, the number of ads placed has now increased sevenfold compared to the beginning of March. In addition, it is estimated that five percent of mobile ChatGPT users now see advertising. At the beginning of March this was only the case for one percent.

Analysts at US bank Truist described 2026 as a watershed year for advertising on AI platforms like ChatGPT. According to Truist, OpenAI could generate almost a billion dollars in advertising revenue by 2026. By 2030, over $30 billion is possible.

It sounds like a lot at first glance, but it is only a fraction of what industry leader Google earns annually. According to Truist forecast, Google will sell $252 billion worth of ads in 2026.