OpenAI’s expansion into advertising is beginning to look like the foundation of a powerful new business that could eventually compete directly with Google’s search empire.
That’s according to new research from Similarweb executive Heral Amir, who has been analyzing early advertising activity connected to OpenAI and the growing ecosystem around ChatGPT.
Amir says hundreds of companies are already experimenting with ChatGPT-focused advertising campaigns, including brands such as HubSpot, Dick's Sporting Goods, Nordstrom, Cursor, and Indeed.
The shift is important because OpenAI’s advertising model appears fundamentally different from traditional search advertising. Google built its dominance around keywords, where advertisers compete to appear when users search for specific terms.
But according to Amir, ChatGPT’s future ad system is likely to revolve around conversations and what he calls “conversational intent.” Instead of targeting isolated search phrases, advertisers may eventually target the broader context of what users are trying to accomplish during an AI conversation.
That could give AI platforms access to much deeper behavioral signals than traditional search engines. A chatbot can understand tone, follow-up questions, uncertainty, preferences, and long-form intent in real time, potentially allowing ads and recommendations to feel far more personalized and contextual.
The development is already raising questions about whether AI assistants could slowly replace parts of traditional web search, especially for shopping, research, recommendations, productivity, and decision-making tasks.
If conversational AI becomes the primary way users discover products and services online, companies like OpenAI could end up controlling a major new layer of internet advertising.