ads in chatgpt are win/win
newpixels | jan 26 2026
hi bud buds,
last week, openai announced they’re rolling out ads in chatgpt. i think this is the biggest advertising opportunity since social media.
key product details
initial rollout targets free and chatgpt go adult users in the u.s.
paid users will stay ad-free
ads will be clearly marked and shown separately from answers
ads won’t influence responses
why i’m bullish
last year, advertisers spent ~$300 billion on online ads in the united states. search ads made up ~$100 billion of that. yet, most search queries are just a few word fragments long.
chatbot conversations are fundamentally different: they’re long and extremely context-rich. users ask follow-up questions, clarify preferences, and share budget. that context can enable targeting accuracy that blows traditional search out of the water. if google can earn $100 billion off fragmented keyword queries, i can easily see the advertising market for ai chatbots greatly surpassing that.
on a personal note, i also like that this could help openai keep offering high-quality models to free and low-cost plan users. as the company invests more into education and healthcare, i love that everyday consumers will be able to access these modalities without paying for a premium plan, or being throttled into crappy low quality models.
question for my audience
are you a paid ads expert? also interested in ai chatbot ads? please reply to this email to say hi! i’m extremely bullish on this space, and am spending hours researching to learn more. i would love to exchange notes 🙂
have a great week, y’all. i love you.
— dj
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big news! huge!
meta released ads on threads globally. the app has grown to over 400 million maus, up from 200 million in mid-2024, and 320 million as of january 2025
tesla launched robotaxi rides in austin, offering autonomous rides without a human safety driver
ring released ring verify, a new video authenticity feature that automatically adds a tamper-evident “seal” to every cloud-recorded video, so viewers can see if a clip has been edited. it’s aimed at people reviewing shared incident or neighborhood footage. as ai-generated video gets harder to spot, i believe every social media platform will begin implementing similar controls
personal faves
netflix released live voting, letting users vote during live programming via tv remote or the netflix app. love this; so fun. imagine watching the og american idol with this feature 👀
spotify released ai-powered prompted playlists, allowing users to create playlists with natural language prompts. playlists are personalized using your listening history and trends
nice job guys
google released me meme, a google photos feature that lets users generate memes of themselves. kinda cringe, lol
adobe released firefly foundry, an ai tool for filmmakers and agencies to create ai-generated media that respects intellectual property / copyright
youtube tv announced multiview, letting viewers mix and match up to four live channels on one screen at the same time. buffalo wild wings is in shambles rn
waymo launched robotaxi service in miami, offering driverless rides in the design district, wynwood, brickell, and coral gables
adobe released ai tools in acrobat, enabling file editing with prompts, “podcast-like summaries” of files, and ai-generated slide decks
openai released age prediction, aiming to automatically identify minors and apply content constraints. it will use ai to assess user behavior and account signals. imagine mistakenly getting flagged as a minor because your prompts are so dumb, lmao
x released starterpacks, offering curated lists of suggested users to follow based on interests like news, fashion, and gaming.
snap released family center, offering parental controls to monitor teens’ screen time and friend connections on snapchat
netflix is testing vertical video feeds to browse clips of netflix shows, movies, and video podcasts in a tiktok-like mobile feed
idk tbh
substack released substack tv app, allowing subscribers to watch substack video posts and livestreams on apple tv and google tv. this doesn’t feel like a strong fit with their icp: writers and nerds
apple announced campos, an ai chatbot that will revamp siri in iphone, ipad, and mac. good riddance: siri is the biggest travesty in the history of software. burn it all down and start again.
