San Francisco, March 5, 2026, 05:29 PST
- OpenAI has spoken with ad-tech player The Trade Desk about potentially selling ads on ChatGPT, according to The Information.
- This lets OpenAI tap outside ad tech while it works on developing its own advertising stack.
- Trade Desk shares surged in premarket trading following the report.
OpenAI has started preliminary talks with ad-tech player The Trade Desk about selling ads on ChatGPT, according to The Information. The move could bring one of the top ad-buying platforms into closer orbit with the surging chatbot.
These discussions carry weight—OpenAI is searching for new revenue streams as expenses tied to large AI models continue to rise. The Trade Desk, on the other hand, could use the boost; ad-tech stocks have taken a beating lately, and bright spots have been scarce.
OpenAI’s search for extra funding appears to have grown more pressing, after The Information reported the company’s annualized revenue hit $25 billion at the end of February—a number Reuters hasn’t been able to confirm. OpenAI did not reply to a request for comment.
The Trade Desk operates a demand-side platform, or DSP—industry shorthand for software that lets advertisers purchase and track digital ads spread across various apps and sites. Should OpenAI tap into it, the move might accelerate ad sales even as OpenAI continues crafting its own infrastructure.
OpenAI in January announced plans to start testing ads in ChatGPT, targeting some U.S. users on the free and Go plans. The company made it clear: ads will show up at the bottom of answers, only when a sponsored product or service fits the conversation, and they won’t affect chatbot responses. “We plan to test ads at the bottom of answers in ChatGPT when there’s a relevant sponsored product or service based on your current conversation,” the company said. Still, there’s a risk here—users could bail if the ads come off as awkward or pushy, warned Emarketer analyst Jeremy Goldman. “If ads feel clumsy or opportunistic, users can easily switch” to competitors, he said. Reuters
Just a week on, Reuters said OpenAI began rolling out its new chatbot ads to a few dozen advertisers, but only in a limited test. Each advertiser committed to less than $1 million, and OpenAI set prices by views—not clicks. According to the report, there was still no self-serve ad-buying option.
Shares of Trade Desk shot up in premarket action Thursday, jumping 17% to $29.44 after the report, Barron’s noted. Even with the rally, the stock remains well below last year’s levels, as softer growth and heavy competition from giants like Amazon and Alphabet’s Google have weighed, Barron’s added. Trade Desk wouldn’t comment, while OpenAI didn’t respond right away, according to Barron’s.
OpenAI could press forward with ads, but everything rides on how well it pulls it off. Ad buyers demand evidence the format delivers. On top of that, OpenAI faces potential privacy headaches and the possibility users could see ads in a chatbot as a breach of trust.
