Observed Signal · Jun 5, 2026 · Commercial Update · Source: AdExchanger · Impact: 4/5 · Sentiment: Positive
ChatGPT Ads Get Cheaper; Google Adds AI Search Analytics
OpenAI partners are offering incentives to drive adoption of ChatGPT ad placements: Criteo cut its minimum spend for ChatGPT ads from $50,000 to $10,000 and will match client spend on the channel. Advertisers report early positive results but still describe ChatGPT ad buys as a 'black box' with limited control over volume and saturation. Separately, Google added generative-AI performance reports to Search Console that break out AI Mode and AI Overviews (AIOs), and allow reporting by impressions, pages (cited URLs), countries, devices and dates across Search and Discover — enabling publishers and advertisers to isolate AI-driven search performance for the first time.
Google’s addition of generative-AI performance reports to Search Console materially improves advertisers’ ability to measure and isolate AI-driven search inventory; Criteo lowering ChatGPT ad minimums widens commercial access to a growing ad channel.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Criteo lowered its minimum investment requirement for ChatGPT ads from $50,000 to $10,000.
- Criteo will match every dollar clients spend through its platform on ads in ChatGPT.
- ChatGPT has surpassed 1 billion monthly active users.
- Brainlabs (agency) uses Criteo for ChatGPT ad buys and describes current ad spend as a 'black box' (Ben Kahan, Head of Programmatic).
- Google introduced generative-AI performance reports in Search Console covering AI Mode and AI Overviews (AIOs) with five reporting dimensions: impressions, pages, countries, devices and dates.
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OpenAI Tests Ads in ChatGPT: A New Advertising Frontier
OpenAI has begun testing advertising within ChatGPT, marking a shift in how ads may appear in AI-powered conversations. The initial test targets US users and will display ads on both the free and Go tiers. Reports note an opening CPM of USD 60 (about £44.69). Advertisers will control ad creatives and broad targeting, with ads designed to appear contextually within responses rather than interrupt dialogue. The move follows OpenAI's transition to a for-profit model about three months ago and raises questions about trust, user experience, and how chatbot environments can be monetized. OpenAI asserts that ads will be contextual and not influence answers, though outcomes may affect which ads are shown. The article contrasts OpenAI's trajectory with Google, which has already integrated AI-powered shopping ads through Gemini-enabled tools, highlighting intensified competition in AI advertising.
Similarweb: ChatGPT Ads Threaten Google Search Ads
OpenAI launched an advertising program for ChatGPT in early February 2026. Harel Amir, Product Chief at web analytics firm Similarweb, analysed early ChatGPT ad placements from partners including Hubspot, Dick‘s Sporting Goods and Indeed. Amir argues ChatGPT-Ads target users via conversational intent (derived from ongoing dialogues) rather than keywords, enabling ad impressions for users without prior purchase intent. Similarweb data cited: 46% of users shown ChatGPT ads had no initial purchase intent, 83% of queries that triggered ChatGPT ads would not have produced a Google Shopping ad, estimated CPM ~ $60 and CPC ~ $12, and a click-through rate around 0.68%. Amir sees this conversational ad model as a potential threat to Google’s search-advertising dominance and a high‑value new revenue channel for OpenAI.
OpenAI to Launch Ads in ChatGPT: $80 Billion Forecast
OpenAI announced plans to introduce advertising in ChatGPT in the United States, placing ads on the free and low-cost "Go" tier while exempting Pro, Business, and Enterprise subscribers. OpenAI published five guiding principles emphasizing mission alignment, answer independence, conversation privacy, user control, and long-term trust. Quo Vadis frames ChatGPT ad units as expressions of existing ad formats (print, audio, motion) but argues the chatbot environment will change how media and creative work are decomposed, targeted, and measured. Using adoption, prompts-per-day, and CPM assumptions (OpenAI target $60 CPM; Google search benchmarks $85 CPM), Quo Vadis models ChatGPT revenue at roughly $17 billion in 2026, $80 billion by 2030, and a maturity range of $160–$185 billion depending on CPM and usage. The piece positions ChatGPT advertising as a potential substitute for search advertising with sizable industry implications.
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