OpenAI’s pilot of advertising on ChatGPT has drawn industry attention, but dissatisfaction is growing over a slower-than-expected pace, CNBC reported on March 20.

Citing sources in the advertising industry, CNBC said the ChatGPT ad experiment is moving more slowly than expected, disappointing some brands and agencies. The world’s biggest advertising companies, including WPP, Omnicom and Dentsu, are taking part. But the tests are being run too conservatively and are not delivering the expected impact. Some brands invested $200,000 to $250,000, but are likely to be unable to spend their full budgets even by the end of March.

OpenAI said it is intentionally maintaining a slow pace. The company said it is in an initial testing phase and plans to scale after improving the consumer experience. It also said positive reactions from users and brands are continuing. Dentsu said it allocated the test from its innovation budget and presented realistic expectations to clients.

Despite OpenAI’s slow pace, the advertising industry viewed rapid responses to feedback and the recent pace of changes positively. According to market research firm Sensor Tower, ChatGPT ad exposure rose 600 percent by mid-March, and the share of mobile users who saw ads expanded to 5 percent from 1 percent.

The growth potential of the AI advertising market remains large. Investment bank Truist views 2026 as a turning point for AI advertising and forecast OpenAI’s ad revenue will grow to more than $30 billion in 2030 from less than $1 billion this year.

Precision targeting aligned with user intent is central to AI advertising. Dentsu said brands that provide customized messages when user intent is clear will create the greatest value.

There is also backlash against AI advertising. AI company Anthropic criticised OpenAI’s introduction of ads in a Super Bowl commercial and declared its platform would operate without advertising. Search AI company Perplexity began testing ads last year but has recently halted it.

Google has not announced an official advertising plan for its Gemini AI, but is leaving open the possibility of linking it with its existing search ads. According to Truist, Google is expected to sell $252 billion of search advertising this year.