ChatGPT Ads Hit $100M Annualized Revenue in Six Weeks — Expansion to Canada and Australia Coming

OpenAI announced on March 27, 2026 that its ChatGPT advertising pilot has surpassed $100 million in annualized revenue within just six weeks of launch. More than 600 advertisers have joined the program, and the company now plans to expand to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Self-serve advertising tools are expected to roll out in April.

The pilot launched in January 2026 and is currently limited to free-tier and Go subscribers in the United States. OpenAI described the results as "well above expectations," marking the company's first systematic move toward ad-based revenue after years of relying exclusively on subscriptions.

The announcement came the same day OpenAI confirmed it has indefinitely paused plans for an explicit chatbot mode—internally called "Citron mode"—following internal resistance from employees and investors. Analysts see both decisions as part of a broader IPO cleanup effort.

For advertisers, the platform opens access to over 800 million users. Finance, insurance, and e-commerce have been the most active verticals in the pilot so far. OpenAI confirmed ads will not affect ChatGPT Pro or Max subscribers.

Expansion to additional markets will put ChatGPT in much more direct competition with Google and Meta for digital advertising budgets. The upcoming self-serve portal in April will allow significantly more advertisers to reach ChatGPT users without going through a sales representative.