OpenAI’s Sam Altman Signals Potential Advertising on ChatGPT

In a recent interview, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, raised the prospect that advertising could eventually form part of the monetisation strategy for ChatGPT, though he reiterated that traditional pay-to-rank advertising models are not aligned with the company’s vision.

A Trust-Centred Approach to Monetisation

Altman said OpenAI’s vision for ChatGPT is that of a “trusted assistant” rather than a tool monetised through advertisement-driven compromises. He contrasted this with the ad-funded model of Google LLC, arguing that Google’s search and advertising ecosystem “depends on … doing badly for the user” because it enables ranking advertisers above the best answer.

He explained that ChatGPT’s revenue model—where users pay for the service—aligns its incentives more directly with user satisfaction rather than advertiser demand. In the interview, Altman noted that many users report a strong sense of trust in ChatGPT, even though AI systems are imperfect and susceptible to “hallucinations.”

Transaction Fees Instead of Pay-to-Play Ads

Altman outlined that while standard advertising slots where a worse option is substituted for a better one are “probably catastrophic” for trust, OpenAI is open to a model where a user may be shown the “best” answer and, if they proceed to book via ChatGPT, a transaction fee is charged without affecting the recommendation.

He used the example of hotel booking: if ChatGPT recommends a hotel and the user books via the service, a commission could be taken—but the ranking of that hotel would be unaffected by the commission. This model is presented as more compatible with preserving user trust.

Advertising: Possible but Not Priority

When pressed about advertising, Altman acknowledged that the company may “try” ads in the future—but made clear that they do not regard ads as their largest revenue opportunity. He said: “I have no idea” how the ads would look.

Some observers interpret this as an opening for highly context-relevant, utility-driven ad experiences rather than generic banner ads. For example, the company has spoken of a “cool ad product” that could be a net win for users.

Broader Monetisation & Strategic Vision

Altman went on to position the current commerce or travel-booking use cases (such as hotel bookings) as unlikely to become the primary source of revenue for OpenAI. He stated that the “world’s smartest model” will ultimately be monetised via higher-value work—such as scientific research or disease and fusion research—rather than standard e-commerce trips.

He also noted that many goods and services are seeing margins decline, and OpenAI anticipates operating under lower margins but potentially higher volumes or strategic value.

Implications and Context

• User trust remains critical: Altman’s comments reflect the importance placed by OpenAI on the alignment of incentives between the user and the service. Introducing advertising that compromises recommendations could erode trust, which he views as foundational.
• Ad model evolution in AI services: As more AI-driven platforms (for example Perplexity AI) begin exploring ad placements within generative-AI outputs, OpenAI appears to be positioning itself to explore such formats cautiously and differently.
• Revenue diversification: While user subscriptions currently underpin ChatGPT’s business model, OpenAI is signaling the desire to diversify—to commerce, enterprise services, and advanced research tools.
• Competition & ecosystem dynamics: Google’s dominance in search advertising has long been critiqued for prioritising ad revenue over user-centric results. Altman’s remarks frame ChatGPT and OpenAI’s model as an alternative to this paradigm—one that places user value first.
• Unchecked ad growth risks: If OpenAI were to permit adverts to influence the ranking of recommendations, the risk is a degradation of the perception of ChatGPT as the “best answer” assistant—a shift that Altman explicitly warns against.

Conclusion

While OpenAI currently emphasises direct-to-user revenue (subscriptions, possibly transaction fees) over advertising, Sam Altman’s remarks signal a strategic openness to “some kind of ad” in the future—provided the format preserves the service’s integrity and user trust. The company appears to be carefully threading the needle between monetisation and the promise of alignment.

For now, any advertising integration remains speculative: Altman himself acknowledged that OpenAI does not yet have a defined ad product in place.