OpenAI is expanding the commercial reach of advertising in ChatGPT. Reuters reported on October 21 that the company added 26 countries to the advertising programme, bringing the total number of markets where ads are available to 89. The expansion is part of OpenAI's effort to develop advertising as a source of revenue alongside its other AI services.
Reuters reported that OpenAI had said in August that its advertising operation reached an annualised revenue run rate of $1 billion. An annualised run rate projects a current revenue pace over a full year; it is not the same as audited revenue earned during that year. The company was pursuing this business development ahead of a potential initial public offering, according to the report.
The move matters because operating large AI services requires computing infrastructure and ongoing development. Advertising gives an AI company another possible way to earn money from users, rather than relying entirely on subscriptions or business customers. Expanding into more markets also extends the reach of the advertising programme, although market availability alone does not show how much revenue each country generates.
Reuters described the expansion as part of OpenAI's effort to strengthen its advertising business. The report did not establish how much additional income the newly added markets would produce. For readers following the AI industry, the development offers a concrete example of how AI companies are exploring different business models to support the cost of providing their services.