Sarah Frier, CFO of OpenAI, stated at a conference in San Francisco that the advertising business for ChatGPT is projected to reach an annualized revenue scale of $1 billion within seven months of implementation. Currently, simple advertisements are displayed at the bottom of ChatGPT responses for both free and paid subscription users.

OpenAI aims to build an advertising infrastructure that combines the strengths of "intent capture" from search advertising and "context capture" from social media advertising. According to Frier, because ChatGPT users input more information directly than they do in typical searches, it is easier to grasp purchase intent with high precision. She further noted that by leveraging memory information about users, it becomes possible to deliver ads closer to an individual level. Additionally, she mentioned that the company is working on developing ad formats optimized for AI.

The company appears to be rushing to secure revenue streams to cover the immense costs associated with large-scale AI research and development and the construction of data centers. OpenAI has mentioned the possibility of an initial public offering (IPO) by the end of 2027, and the expansion of the advertising business is expected to be one of the strategies supporting its financial foundation.

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