OpenAI will begin testing a new visual ad format in ChatGPT later this month with a cohort of U.S. advertisers, the company said during Advertising Week. The unit lets brands insert imagery into responses and marks the latest major ad-product move inside ChatGPT since OpenAI first began testing ads in the U.S. in February.

What did OpenAI announce?

OpenAI shipped three product tracks at the conference: a visual ad unit, a broader measurement stack and new brand-suitability tools. The announcements arrive as the company continues to scale its ads business ahead of a potential IPO, with new ad leadership including global ads chief David Dugan.

How does the visual format work?

The format allows advertisers to insert images that illustrate a product in use or show product inspiration, OpenAI said. Visual ads will initially surface inside ChatGPT's image-generation experience on Free and Go plans. OpenAI said it will label the unit and keep it visually distinct from organic images.

U.S. advertisers in the test cohort will get first access beginning later this month. OpenAI has not yet named the broader rollout dates beyond the January pilot.

What measurement partners are in the stack?

OpenAI is extending reporting and click attribution to three measurement providers:

• Kochava
• Tealium
• Triple Whale

On brand resonance, OpenAI is piloting measurement with Kantar and Cint. The company is also working on incrementality tools with Haus and WorkMagic, though those tests remain in early stages, OpenAI said.

The new layer sits atop the in-house Conversions API and pixel tools that OpenAI debuted in May. Marketers have publicly pressed for those capabilities, with industry coverage citing OpenAI's measurement gaps as a reason some brands have kept ChatGPT ad budgets at test tiers rather than scaling commitments.

How is OpenAI tackling brand suitability?

OpenAI is building brand-suitability measurement pilots with DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science, the company said. Both programs are in early development. In the meantime, OpenAI is making Negative Phrases — a tool that blocks ad serving against queries that contain flagged words or terms — more widely available to advertisers.

How fast is OpenAI expanding?

OpenAI has accelerated ChatGPT ads through recent months. Recent moves include:

• Expanding ChatGPT ads into 31 new international markets
• Hiring global ads leadership, including David Dugan
• Announcing ad-tech partnerships with Criteo and Pacvue
• Testing multi-advertiser placements in some query responses
• Onboarding more regulated verticals, including financial-services brands

That pace, combined with the new measurement stack, signals an effort to move advertiser commitments out of pilot budgets before any public-market listing.

What happens next?

The next six months will test whether marketers buy in. With the visual format limited to Free and Go plans and brand-suitability tools still in pilot, OpenAI's pitch will hinge on whether the broadened measurement stack clears enough budget reviews to lift spend beyond test tier.