OpenAI said Monday that its ChatGPT advertising business has reached a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate, marking a major milestone as the artificial intelligence company expands advertising globally and seeks to diversify its sources of income.
The figure was reached less than 200 days after OpenAI launched ChatGPT Ads, according to the company. An annualized revenue run rate is a snapshot based on the current pace of revenue and does not mean OpenAI has already generated $1 billion in advertising revenue over a full year.
OpenAI said ChatGPT Ads are now available in more than 40 countries and that tens of thousands of advertisers are using the platform. The company is also expanding self-service advertising to markets including India, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
The milestone gives OpenAI another source of revenue alongside consumer subscriptions, enterprise services and usage-based APIs.
The company described advertising as one pillar of a diversified business model. OpenAI said its advertising-supported approach is intended to help maintain access to ChatGPT through its free and Go tiers while providing businesses with a new way to reach consumers.
OpenAI said its ads are clearly labeled and kept separate from ChatGPT's answers. It also said advertisers do not receive access to users' private conversations and that advertising does not influence the answers generated by ChatGPT.
OpenAI began testing advertisements in ChatGPT in the United States on February 9, 2026. The company initially described the program as a way to support broader access to ChatGPT while maintaining user control and trust.
The program has since expanded internationally. OpenAI said advertisers outside the United States are becoming an increasingly important part of its business, while small and medium-sized businesses now represent a material share of its advertising operation.
The company has also introduced tools including Ads Manager, product feeds, geographic targeting, custom audiences and conversion measurement capabilities.
OpenAI's decision to introduce advertising has also highlighted the growing rivalry between the leading AI companies.
Anthropic, the company behind Claude, criticized the strategy during the Super Bowl, using an advertisement that mocked the idea of putting ads into AI conversations. The campaign reflected a broader disagreement between the companies over how AI services should be monetized.
Anthropic has instead emphasized a subscription and business-focused model as it competes with OpenAI for consumers and corporate customers.
The $1 billion run rate gives OpenAI a potentially important new revenue stream at a time when the company is investing heavily in computing infrastructure and AI development.
For potential investors, advertising could also demonstrate that ChatGPT can generate revenue from its enormous user base beyond subscriptions and enterprise contracts.
However, the run rate figure should not be interpreted as guaranteed future revenue. Advertising revenue can change as advertiser demand, pricing, user engagement and the number of participating markets evolve.
OpenAI said it plans to continue expanding ChatGPT Ads into additional markets and introduce new advertising formats, objectives, purchasing options and measurement tools.
The company is therefore moving from an early advertising experiment toward a global commercial platform, potentially making advertising an increasingly important part of its business as it prepares for the next stage of its growth.
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