New Ad Format Appears During ChatGPT Image Generation

Release Overview

A new advertising format has been spotted in OpenAI's conversational AI, "ChatGPT," displaying ad content on the waiting screen while users utilize the image generation feature. This initiative leverages the few seconds of downtime while users wait for their images to be generated.

Details of the New Feature

Observed in this rollout is a feature that displays a "product carousel" (an ad format showing multiple products side-by-side) on the loading screen while image generation is in progress. The mechanism exposes users to recommended products and related information while they wait for the generation to complete.

Background and Strategy

Conventionally, the ChatGPT user experience has been characterized by minimal interference from advertising. However, this update is believed to explore monetization potential as a generative AI platform. Because image generation requires server resources and time, a strategic intent can be seen in optimizing this "dead time" as ad inventory.

Future Outlook

Currently, we are awaiting an official detailed announcement from OpenAI regarding the scope of testing for this ad format, as well as the types of advertisers and targeting methods that will be adopted in the future.