Digital advertising has been dominated for years by two main models. Google built much of its business around what people search for, while social networks learned to leverage interests, behaviors, and content to capture attention. The expansion of ChatGPT now opens up a third possibility: displaying advertisements while the user engages in a conversation with artificial intelligence to gather information, compare options, or make decisions.
Starting August 24, OpenAI will extend ChatGPT ads to Spain and other European markets, following the initial tests in the United States back in February and subsequent expansions to additional countries. This decision turns advertising into a new revenue stream for a company whose business model has primarily relied on subscriptions and services targeted at businesses and developers.
For users, the first difference will depend on the plan they use. Ads will appear on Free and Go accounts, while Plus, Pro, and business and education plans will remain ad-free. OpenAI also ensures that the ads will be clearly identified and separated from the responses generated by ChatGPT.
An advertising model based on user intent
The most interesting difference lies in how the new advertising channel operates. A search engine can interpret intent based on just a few words entered into a search box. A conversation with an artificial intelligence can contain much more information about what a person is trying to achieve.
Someone planning a trip can explain their destination, dates, budget, number of travelers, and type of accommodation they are seeking. Another user might compare computers for their business, search for a restaurant, investigate which car to buy, or ask for help finding a particular service. In this way, the conversation provides context that goes far beyond a simple keyword.
OpenAI’s documentation for advertisers explains that ChatGPT uses the context of the ongoing conversation to determine the relevance of the ads and, when the user has advertising personalization activated, it can incorporate certain signals from their broader experience within the service.
This introduces a distinction from much of the traditional digital advertising. The commercial opportunity does not necessarily arise while a person consumes content, but during a process in which they are exploring options, comparing alternatives, or making decisions.
OpenAI highlights this intent as one of the main attractions of ChatGPT Ads for businesses. Conversational advertising aims to compete for some of the highest-value commercial moments on the internet: those in which the user is relatively close to deciding what to buy, where to travel, what to book, or which option to choose.
The ads are not part of the response
The entry of advertising into an artificial intelligence assistant raises a particularly delicate question: if a company pays to advertise, can it get ChatGPT to modify its responses to recommend it?
OpenAI asserts that it cannot. According to the company, the advertising systems operate independently of the model that generates the responses, and advertisers cannot influence, instruct, or alter what ChatGPT responds to the user. The ads appear differentiated and labeled as such.
This distinction is important because, in a conversational tool, the line between information and recommendation may be less apparent than in other media. If someone asks what the best hotel is for a trip, what computer they should buy, or which insurance fits their needs, the trust in the response largely depends on the user’s ability to clearly distinguish between AI-generated content and an advertisement paid for by a sponsor.
The company also claims that advertisers do not have access to user conversations. OpenAI has additionally established restrictions on the contexts in which ads can appear and excludes certain sensitive conversations or situations where an advertisement could undermine trust or be deemed inappropriate.
A new competitor for Google and social networks
The introduction of ChatGPT into advertising has implications that extend beyond OpenAI itself. For years, Google and Meta have captured a significant share of the global market thanks to two particularly valuable assets: knowing what the user is searching for and having sufficient information to determine which ads may interest them.
Conversational artificial intelligence introduces another source of information: intent expressed through natural language. A user does not need to limit themselves to searching for «hotel Zaragoza,» for example, but can explain that they need central accommodation for two nights, are traveling for work, want parking, and have a certain budget.
This context can enhance advertising relevance, although it will be the real experience of advertisers and users that determines how much this model can compete with channels that have spent decades optimizing their segmentation and measurement systems.
OpenAI is already offering an Ads Manager from which advertisers can configure campaigns, budgets, and objectives, as well as measure results and make adjustments. The company advocates for an approach different from advertising based solely on keywords, noting that its systems account for various relevance signals related to conversational intent.
A new avenue for monetizing ChatGPT
Advertising also has an economic rationale. Maintaining and developing artificial intelligence systems used by hundreds of millions of people requires significant investments in data centers, chips, energy, and technological development. The free model allows reaching a vast audience but also incurs costs that must be funded through other activities.
Subscriptions have been one of the main responses so far. Advertising allows for another: generating revenue from users who do not pay for a subscription or who use the economical Go plan, while still maintaining ad-free versions for those who opt for higher-tier plans.
OpenAI argues that ads can help finance broader access to ChatGPT. The company even offers an alternative for certain users of the free plan who prefer not to see ads: an ad-free experience in exchange for more limited usage limits and less access to some features.
This strategy places ChatGPT in a familiar territory for many of the big digital platforms: combining ad-funded free services with paid options that eliminate ads and provide enhanced features.
What does it mean for Spanish companies?
For advertisers and agencies, the arrival in Spain opens a channel that is still in its early phases. Its attractiveness will depend on ChatGPT’s ability to identify commercial intent moments and translate them into measurable results for brands.
Sectors where there is a prior process of searching and comparing may find this environment particularly interesting. Tourism, e-commerce, technology, professional services, or certain consumer products are examples where a conversation can directly precede a decision.
The question will not solely be how many people use ChatGPT. It will be necessary to assess what types of conversations admit advertising, how users respond to ads within an AI assistant, and what costs and conversions campaigns achieve compared to Google, social networks, and other digital channels.
The work of agencies will also change. If search engine advertising required an understanding of keywords and social media introduced new forms of targeting and creativity, artificial intelligence assistants may necessitate thinking in terms of intentions, conversational context, and utility.
Beginning August 24, it will be tested in Spain whether this model works at scale. ChatGPT thus transitions from being merely a place where millions of people ask questions or perform tasks, to also becoming an advertising space for OpenAI, and for companies.
