OpenAI says ChatGPT advertisers top 100,000 as ad reach expands to 89 countries
OpenAI reveals rapid expansion of its ChatGPT advertising business, with over 100,000 advertisers and $1 billion in annualized revenue.
OpenAI announced on October 21 (local time) that the number of advertisers using its chatbot ChatGPT has exceeded 100,000, while expanding ad delivery services from 63 to 89 countries. This move signals the company's accelerated effort to convert its free user base into an advertising revenue stream, diversifying a business model previously reliant on subscriptions.
According to ZDNet Korea, OpenAI began piloting ads for free users in the United States in February and has since pushed for international expansion, adding five countries including South Korea in August. Data released by the company in August indicated that the annualized revenue from ChatGPT's advertising business had reached $1 billion, approximately six months after launching the service in the U.S. It is important to note that annualized revenue is a projection based on current sales speed, not actual cumulative earnings.
Outlets such as Axios predict that OpenAI's total advertising revenue for this year could reach $2.5 billion, representing about 8% of the market's expected $30 billion total annual revenue. As competition among AI service providers shifts from user acquisition to monetization, the expansion of ChatGPT's ad platform is viewed as a significant diversion of demand from traditional search engines and internet platforms.