OpenAI is looking for engineers to develop new image, video, native and conversational ad formats for ChatGPT, going beyond the standard sponsored unit. tested since February.
Three announcements on the OpenAI Careers page, first published by Digiday, describe creating advertisements through text, image, video, native, conversational and interactive surfacesall within the new OpenAI monetization team. More formats would give ads a greater presence in ChatGPT, raising the stakes for the organic mentions that brands rely on.
What the ads describe
Two of the roles are mobile specific, one for iOS and one for Androideach requiring at least four years of experience. Both are part of an “Ad Formats” team that OpenAI describes as owning the rendering and presentation layer of its ads.
The third is older role of monetization and advertising requiring seven years or more, what OpenAI calls a foundational role spanning infrastructure, APIs and user-facing experiences.
Privacy and security language appears in every ad. They ask applicants to meet OpenAI’s stated bar for security, privacy, fairness, and policy compliance across its advertising systems. OpenAI has made it clear that its advertising plans depend on maintaining trust in ChatGPT.
The format it extends from
The current ChatGPT ad is a simple unit with a title, a brief description, an image and a link. Digiday reported last month that it had seen mockups adding a larger image and an optional call-to-action button that advertisers could customize.
The only format tested by OpenAI has already reaches seven marketsmoving from cost-per-impression bidding to cost-per-click bidding with a self-serve ad manager, Marketing Dive reported. He added that Criteo, an early ad tech partner, says more than 2,000 brands now serve ChatGPT ads through its platform.
On its advertising page, OpenAI indicates that it will evolve the program over time to support additional formatspurchasing objectives and models. It also describes a conversational unit where you can ask questions about an ad before making a purchasing decision.
Why it matters
New formats may take up more screen space than the small ad area at the bottom of a response. This could draw attention to the ads and away from the response, where organic mentions are displayed.
Whether earned viewability can remain important as paid ads increase is a concern we have monitored since testing of these ads began. The company says its ads won’t change the content of its responses, but now the surrounding space is changing.
Looking to the future
OpenAI did not specify when the new formats will be tested. Its head of advertising told Digiday that the roadmap was shaped by feedback from test advertisers, leaving the sequence open-ended. Hiring is the clearest read yet on what the company is moving towards, and the format the ads take will determine the importance of paid placements in a ChatGPT response.
Featured Image: Samuel Boivin/Shutterstock
