- OpenAI could charge premium ad rates without offering detailed engagement data to advertisers
- ChatGPT ads will rely entirely on impressions rather than click-based performance metrics
- Users paying for GPT Plus avoid ads, leaving free subscribers exposed to marketing
As OpenAI is preparing to introduce ads inside ChatGPT, early signals have suggested pricing which rivals some of the most expensive media inventory available today.
Reporting from The Information has claimed the company is internally considering rates as high as $60 per one thousand views.
This figure places ChatGPT ads in the same cost range as live National Football League broadcasts, including premium slots for the upcoming Super Bowl.
ChatGPT ad pricing rivals live NFL broadcasts
OpenAI has not publicly confirmed these numbers, leaving prospective advertisers to rely on limited disclosures and third-party reporting.
The proposed pricing model is based on impressions rather than user actions. Advertisers would pay for how often an ad is shown, not how often it is clicked.
OpenAI has also not shared detailed data on click performance, either for ads or for outbound links to publishers whose content is used during model training.
Available signals suggest click-through rates are likely very low compared to traditional search platforms, particularly Google.
A media buyer working with early advertisers has said OpenAI plans to provide only high-level performance data, which would include total impressions and total clicks, without deeper breakdowns or behavioral insights.
An OpenAI spokesperson compared this reporting approach to television advertising, where audience exposure matters more than direct interaction.
That comparison is central to how OpenAI appears to justify pricing that mirrors live sports broadcasts.
Ads are expected to appear beneath ChatGPT responses, rather than being woven into the answers themselves.
The company stated that ads will not influence generated responses, and that personal information, including health data, will not be used to train models for advertising purposes.
Users on the free tier or the $8 Go subscription are expected to see ads, while those paying $20 per month for GPT Plus can avoid them.
The rollout is expected in the United States within weeks, marking the start of monetization for an established AI tool.
Unlike social platforms or search engines, ChatGPT does not naturally encourage clicking away from the interface, which complicates comparisons with existing digital ad markets.
However, the central question is whether impression-based pricing at NFL levels makes sense without transparent engagement metrics.
Television ads benefit from decades of audience measurement standards, while ChatGPT is still defining how attention inside an AI interface should be valued.
Without clearer evidence of user interaction or downstream impact, advertisers may struggle to assess whether ChatGPT impressions deliver results.
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