ChatGPT users in the US will soon see a new kind of advertising surface: the waiting screen that appears while the chatbot generates an image. OpenAI is preparing a test that places labeled display ads in that moment, with an initial group of advertisers taking part later this month.
How the new ChatGPT ads will appear
The format is built around product carousels shown during image generation. According to the source material, the ads are labeled as advertising and kept separate from the image being generated.
That separation matters because it defines the ad as a surrounding placement, not part of the output itself. Users are waiting for a visual result, while advertisers get a screen where attention is already focused on the image generation process.
OpenAI is designing the ads to show products in use or the experiences connected to those products. In practice, that means the placement is not described as a simple static banner. It is intended to present something closer to a product or experience preview while the user waits.
The source does not say how many advertisers are included in the first test, which brands are participating, or how broadly the format will appear within the US. It only states that the launch starts later this month with an initial group of advertisers.
Why the loading screen matters
The image generation loading screen is a specific part of the ChatGPT experience. It appears during a task that can require a pause, creating a natural window for content to be shown before the generated image is ready.
For OpenAI, the placement creates another ad surface inside ChatGPT without inserting advertising into the generated image itself. The source explicitly says the ad remains separate from the image, which is the central boundary of the format.
For advertisers, the attraction is also clear from the structure of the test. A product carousel can present more than a single message, and the ads are designed around products in use or related experiences. That gives the format room to show context, not just a product name.
For users, the key visible change is that an image generation wait state may now include labeled advertising. The source does not describe user controls, frequency, targeting details, or whether the format will apply to all ChatGPT users in the US.
Measurement and attribution are expanding too
OpenAI is pairing the new ad format with broader measurement tools for advertisers. The source says advertisers can send conversion data to ChatGPT Ads through Hightouch, Tealium, and LiveRamp.
Attribution providers are also being added to the mix. AppsFlyer, Adjust, and Branch are named as attribution providers joining the system.
OpenAI is also testing geo-based experiments through Haus, Measured, and WorkMagic. The stated purpose is to gauge actual ad impact, which suggests the company wants advertisers to evaluate whether campaigns are producing measurable results beyond basic exposure.
Taken together, these tools point to a more developed advertising system around ChatGPT. The ad placement is only one part of the rollout. Measurement, conversion data, attribution and experimentation are all being positioned as parts of the same advertising push.
Brand safety is part of the pitch
OpenAI is also working on brand safety measures. The company is running pilot programs with DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science.
The source says these pilots evaluate the ad environment without accessing real user conversations. That distinction is important because ChatGPT interactions can involve sensitive or highly specific user prompts, while advertisers still want information about where their ads appear.
Select advertisers can also set negative keywords. The goal is to keep ads from appearing in unsuitable conversations.
The source does not provide examples of negative keywords or define what counts as unsuitable. It also does not describe exactly how these controls will operate. What it does make clear is that brand safety is being built into the advertiser offering alongside measurement and attribution.
ChatGPT ads are already a major business
The image generation placement is not OpenAI's first advertising move inside ChatGPT. The source says OpenAI has been running ads in ChatGPT since February and that those ads now operate in more than 40 countries.
The business is already described as large. The source says OpenAI has reached an annualized revenue run rate of $1 billion from ads alone.
The company also has a much larger target. OpenAI aims to hit $100 billion in ad revenue by 2030.
The scale of ChatGPT's audience helps explain the ambition. According to OpenAI, ChatGPT reaches 1.2 billion people weekly. The source also notes that earlier this year only about 5 percent of users were paying for a subscription.
Those numbers frame advertising as more than an experiment. If ChatGPT reaches 1.2 billion people weekly while only about 5 percent of users pay for a subscription, ads become a major path for monetizing a large audience. The new image generation loading screen format adds another surface to that strategy.
For now, the most concrete change is limited and specific: users in the US will soon see labeled display ads while ChatGPT generates an image. The bigger story is that OpenAI is building the surrounding infrastructure that advertisers expect, including conversion data, attribution providers, geo-based experiments, brand safety pilots and negative keyword controls.