OpenAI rolls out multi‑advertiser placements in ChatGPT and expands global ad targeting

OpenAI is testing a new ad format in ChatGPT that groups several relevant advertisers into a single placement. The trial uses a second‑price auction model and is aimed at improving product discovery while giving marketers more reach during high‑intent conversations. At the same time, OpenAI added campaign‑management tools such as daily‑budget conversion, one‑click CPM‑to‑CPC switching, bulk editing, and an average‑daily‑budget model with weekly pacing. Geographic targeting is being widened from the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to include the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and Mexico.

Industry analysts note that AI‑driven web traffic is reshaping the publishing landscape: Cloudflare reports bots now generate 57.4% of all web visits, with AI‑training crawlers accounting for 50.6% of traffic, reducing human referral clicks to sites. Regulators have responded, with the UK Competition and Markets Authority requiring Google to add an opt‑out toggle for AI content use, and Microsoft releasing a similar one‑click AI toggle for Bing. These developments frame OpenAI’s advertising push as part of a broader shift toward monetising AI‑centric user interactions.