The Real Reason Ads Are Coming to ChatGPT

The Real Reason Ads Are Coming to ChatGPT

James Pelton
James Pelton
Aug 21, 2026

Nearly a billion people use ChatGPT every week and almost none of them have seen an ad on it yet. That will not last. Here is why ads are coming to ChatGPT, why the window we are in right now is the opportunity, and who this actually works for.

⏱️ Chapters
00:00 A billion users and almost no ads
01:01 Why AI is too expensive to stay free
02:00 The only two ways a free product makes money
02:31 ChatGPT is walking the same road
03:01 Every ad platform has a cheap early window
04:02 Why these ads target differently than Facebook or Google
05:00 Catch one: it reaches free users
05:31 Catch two: you need an approved account
06:32 Catch three: there is no playbook yet
07:48 Handing the whole thing to Lapis
09:53 A real campaign, 288 ads at 62 cents a click
11:00 Should you actually do this

🔗 Try Lapis, ChatGPT ads done for you: https://trylapis.com/partners/james-pelton
(#ad, sponsored by Lapis)

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⚠️ Transparency: this video is sponsored by Lapis. Some links may be affiliates; I only recommend tools I'd use myself.