OpenAI Looks to Build In-House Ad Infrastructure

Bourne added that while it may be striking to see a company that began as a nonprofit research lab make this kind of move, it reflects OpenAI’s for-profit pivot and broader push into revenue generation.

The hire also comes on the heels of OpenAI appointing Omnicom Media Group’s PHD as its global media agency of record (AOR), to handle global media planning and buying for the ChatGPT-maker.

Over the past year, OpenAI has onboarded notable executives with advertising backgrounds, including Simo, and has experimented with shopping and ecommerce integrations on ChatGPT. The AI chatbot’s usage has grown rapidly, hitting 700 million weekly active users in August, up fourfold from a year earlier, and the tool is now available on Apple devices.

OpenAI is also moving toward a public benefit corporation, granting the controlling nonprofit an equity stake worth at least $100 billion and reaching a tentative deal to resolve financial issues with Microsoft. Analysts have pointed out that the changes signal a shift toward revenue generation alongside AI development.

Some adtech observers suggested the platform could eventually become a product in its own right. ChatGPT could allow a person to provide campaign goals and data, and then autonomously select platforms, choose campaign types, execute the ads, and analyze performance—all automatically.

“Not many companies take this step,” said an ad tech executive who requested anonymity. “If OpenAI succeeds internally, they could flip this into a product and potentially bypass agencies entirely.”