OpenAI tests image adverts during image creation in ChatGPT
The trial starts later this month in the United States with a limited group of advertisers.
OpenAI will test image adverts during image creation in ChatGPT later this month. According to the company, the adverts will be clearly labelled and kept separate from the image the user asks it to create.
The new form of advertising will first be tested in the United States. OpenAI says a limited group of advertisers will take part in the trial. According to the company, the adverts may show product inspiration, use cases or services while ChatGPT generates an image.
OpenAI emphasises that the advertising will not become part of the image created. The company also says advertisers cannot influence ChatGPT's answers. That separation matters because, in the same interface, the user both gives the chatbot an instruction and sees commercial information.
The company is thereby expanding its advertising activities, which had previously been visible mainly around text-based ChatGPT experiences. OpenAI presents advertising as a way to continue serving a broad free user base alongside paid subscriptions. The company says ChatGPT reaches 1.2 billion people worldwide each week; that is a company estimate, not an independently verified user figure.
According to the available information, nothing will change directly for users in the Netherlands for now. The new image trial is limited to the United States. OpenAI has not announced when this format will come to Europe. Existing European rules, including the Digital Services Act, could affect transparency and how adverts are shown to users.
The move is commercially relevant to both advertisers and OpenAI's competitors. A chatbot can show advertising at a moment when someone is already exploring a product or idea. That makes the environment attractive for marketing, but also raises questions about the boundary between assistance, recommendation and selling.
OpenAI has also announced that it wants to expand advertising measurement and partnerships with companies. The initial trial says little about the format's eventual scale, price or effectiveness. It is also unclear how often users will see adverts, which data will be used for targeting and how the systems will handle sensitive conversations.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- OpenAI is testing image adverts in the United States.
- According to OpenAI, the adverts will be labelled and kept separate from generated images.
- The precise data processing, frequency and European rollout are not yet known.
Left
Arguments Adverts in an AI assistant can influence users at a moment when they are sharing personal wishes and doubts. Strict privacy rules, minimal data collection and an advert-free option should improve the balance of power.
Values Privacy, autonomy and consumer protection.
Consequences That could limit the business model, but would reduce the risk of manipulation and commercial influence in sensitive situations.
Centre
Arguments Advertising can be a legitimate way to fund broad access to AI, as long as adverts are recognisable, answers are not bought and independent regulators monitor the practice.
Values Accessibility, transparency and proportionate regulation.
Consequences A controlled introduction can combine innovation and affordability, but requires continued oversight because the technology and advertising formats are changing quickly.
Right
Arguments A company should be able to decide for itself how to finance a free service. As long as users can clearly see what is advertising and can voluntarily choose a paid version, heavy government intervention is unnecessary.
Values Entrepreneurship, freedom of choice and limited regulation.
Consequences More commercial freedom can accelerate investment, but may also lead to a market in which free users are treated mainly as an advertising audience.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The product announcement was checked directly with OpenAI and compared with independent reporting. Claims about reach and future rollout have been marked as a company claim or uncertainty.
- confirmed OpenAI will test image adverts during image generation in ChatGPT later this month. — OpenAI announces the test for later in October in the United States. source
- confirmed The adverts will be clearly labelled and kept separate from the generated image. — This is stated in the official announcement and confirmed by BleepingComputer. source
- confirmed OpenAI says adverts will not influence ChatGPT's answers. — The company's promise appears in the official announcement. source
- uncertain ChatGPT reaches 1.2 billion people per week. — This is a reach figure provided by OpenAI without independent verification in the sources consulted. source
Editor's note
The trial, location, timing and separation between the advert and the generated image are based on OpenAI and independently described by BleepingComputer. User numbers and the future European rollout are company claims or unknown.Sources
- Building advertising for the way people use AI — OpenAI
- OpenAI will show visual ads in ChatGPT while you generate images — BleepingComputer
- Reimagining advertising with AI — OpenAI
More on this in Dutch media
- Trouw — „openai chatgpt”
- NU.nl — „openai chatgpt”
- De Telegraaf — „openai chatgpt”