In 2025, the pressure of commercialization is like a big mountain, making OpenAI unable to breathe. OpenAI has finally provided an official statement on the advertising monetization path of ChatGPT. The company recently revealed in response to media inquiries that it is considering adding advertising forms to its ChatGPT product. Why? Isn't it to withstand the increasingly large operating costs and continuously provide intelligent services to free users. Previously, due to the sharp increase in Gemini user base, this matter was temporarily put on hold, but now revenue pressure is surging like a tide, and advertising strategy has been put back on the agenda.
The advertising form is still "crossing the river by feeling the stones", emphasizing "not harming user trust"
OpenAI confidently guarantees that any advertising design must prioritize maintaining users' trust in ChatGPT. What potential advertising formats are currently being discussed internally?
For example, prioritizing the display of sponsor content in the answer, such as "travel plans recommended by XX brand"; Or embed advertisements related to user queries in the sidebar; Alternatively, advertisements can only be triggered when user conversations involve commercial intentions such as shopping or booking; Also, as an auxiliary step, wait for the user to click on the link generated by ChatGPT before displaying the advertisement. The company has made it clear that it will not forcefully insert disruptive advertisements into the core conversation flow, just for fear of disrupting the user experience. Compared to those platforms that frequently pop up windows and display full screen advertisements, doesn't this seem more "conscientious"?
Free users become a key 'cash cow', with advertising revenue expected to reach 1.5 billion by 2030
Where does OpenAI's money mainly come from now? One is membership subscription, such as ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, etc; The second is API calling services; The third is enterprise level solutions. But reality is cruel. Even if the revenue can exceed 10 billion US dollars by 2025, it will still suffer a huge loss. It is expected that the operating loss in 2028 will reach 74 billion US dollars. This is not feasible, we must open up new sources of income.
Internal calculations show that each free user can contribute approximately $2 in advertising revenue annually. If ChatGPT's free user base remains in the hundreds of millions, advertising revenue may exceed $1.5 billion by 2030, becoming the third largest revenue pillar after subscriptions and APIs. It's like digging out a gold mine in a wasteland, with free users becoming the key increment.
Speaking of which, ChatGPT is very different from traditional search engines. It has rich and private contextual information, covering everything from health consultation to financial planning, from emotional expression to career planning. If these data are used for advertising targeting, the accuracy is estimated to be far behind Google. However, this has also raised concerns among users and regulatory agencies. Although OpenAI promises that "advertising will not be based on sensitive content," defining "sensitive" and isolating data are like a tangled mess, causing headaches.
Privacy concerns: AI that understands you better than Google, is it a blessing or a curse?
Let's compare. Google's advertising revenue reached $237.8 billion in 2023, accounting for 77% of Alphabet's total revenue. With this money, it has provided strong support for investing in AI infrastructure. OpenAI obviously wants to replicate this "advertising feedback technology" model, but it faces a much higher trust threshold than Google. After all, users' trust in ChatGPT is like a thin layer of paper that can be easily shattered with a single poke.
Comparison item ChatGPT Google
Master the rich and private contextual information of various types of information, covering various aspects of life, mainly including relatively public information such as user search keywords
The potential for advertising accuracy may far exceed Google's targeting based on search keywords due to the mastery of detailed information, which has certain limitations in accuracy
The trust threshold is relatively low due to the involvement of a large amount of private information, and users with high trust thresholds are relatively accustomed to using their data
Advertising is not the end, but the starting point of the battle for survival
OpenAI's exploration of advertising models is essentially walking a tightrope between idealism and commercial reality. On one hand, there is Sam Altman's beautiful promise of "making AI benefit all mankind", and on the other hand, there are billions of dollars in computing power and talent costs every year. If not handled properly, advertisements may be like a piece of mouse droppings, ruining the good soup of ChatGPT and destroying user trust; If successful, advertising may become the "oxygen" that supports the long-term development of AGI.
When AI assistants start recommending products they think you need, is this convenience or manipulation? OpenAI is standing at a crossroads between ethics and business. Let's wait and see what the future holds.
In the era of AI advertising, where should users go?
With OpenAI exploring advertising models on ChatGPT, the era of AI advertising seems to have quietly arrived. For users, this is both an opportunity and a challenge.
On the one hand, advertising may bring some convenience, such as being able to quickly find the products and services one needs;
On the other hand, it may also make users feel manipulated and worried about their privacy being leaked. In this era of AI advertising, how should users protect their rights and how should they view these advertisements rationally? This is worth pondering for each and every one of us.
