There is a rumor circulating that ads inside ChatGPT could price as high as $60 CPMs.
Most people hear that number and immediately say the same thing:
“That’s insane.”
I think that reaction misses what is actually happening.
This is not Facebook inventory.
This is not TikTok inventory.
This is not even Google Search inventory.
ChatGPT ads, if and when they launch, represent a fundamentally different moment in digital advertising.
First, let’s level set on what is real
There is no public ad product live inside ChatGPT today.
There is no official CPM pricing announced.
What is real is this:
OpenAI has openly acknowledged monetization beyond subscriptions is coming
Brands and agencies are already discussing how ads would work inside conversational AI
Early whispers suggest CPMs materially higher than social or display
The $60 CPM number matters less as a fact and more as a signal.
It tells us how OpenAI is thinking about value.
Why a $60 CPM is not crazy in context
The mistake people make is comparing ChatGPT to feeds.
ChatGPT is not a feed. It is intent.
When someone opens ChatGPT, they are not scrolling. They are asking.
“How do I choose the best protein powder?”
“What software should I use to manage inventory?”
“What brand should I trust for X?”
That is bottom of funnel energy.
If ads are inserted carefully, they are not interruptions. They are answers.
And answers are worth a lot more than impressions.
This is closer to Google Search than Meta
Google Search CPMs look cheap until you translate them into CPCs and intent value.
ChatGPT compresses that even further.
Instead of:
Search → websites → comparison → decision
You get:
Question → synthesized answer → recommendation
If a brand becomes part of that recommendation layer, the leverage is massive.
That is why OpenAI would anchor pricing high.
They are not selling reach. They are selling relevance.
The real value is trust, not traffic
Here is the uncomfortable truth for brands.
ChatGPT is trusted.
Not in a “this is fun content” way.
In a “help me think” way.
If ChatGPT says:
“Most people in your situation choose X because of Y”
That carries weight.
That is why ads inside ChatGPT cannot look like ads.
The moment it feels paid, trust erodes and the product breaks.
So if this works at all, it will look more like:
Sponsored recommendations with disclosure
Brand inclusion inside structured comparisons
Context-aware suggestions tied tightly to the question
That inventory is scarce by design.
Scarcity supports high CPMs.
Why ecommerce brands should pay attention now
This will not be a spray-and-pray channel.
If you are a commodity product, ChatGPT ads will likely destroy you.
If you are a brand with:
Clear differentiation
Strong reviews and social proof
Legitimate reasons to be recommended
This could become one of the highest ROI channels in digital.
But only for brands that earn their way in.
You will not be able to brute force this with spend.
The real implication nobody is talking about
ChatGPT ads shift power from creatives to credibility.
On social platforms, you can outspend or out-creativity your competitors.
In conversational AI, your product needs to hold up under explanation.
Why is it better?
Who is it for?
What tradeoffs exist?
If your brand cannot answer those cleanly, no CPM makes sense at any price.
So is $60 CPMs realistic?
For broad awareness? No.
For high-intent, decision-stage queries? Absolutely.
In fact, the bigger risk is not that CPMs are too high.
The risk is that brands treat this like another ad channel instead of what it actually is.
A new recommendation layer for the internet.
The takeaway
ChatGPT ads will not replace Meta, TikTok, or Google.
They will sit above them.
They will influence decisions before someone ever clicks.
If you are building a brand for the next decade, you should care less about the rumored CPM and more about this question:
Would ChatGPT genuinely recommend us if money were not involved?
Because that is the bar now.
Final thought
For the past 15 years, we’ve lived in the arbitrage era of advertising.
We had the most efficient, cost-effective distribution in history. If you understood platforms early, moved fast, and iterated creative, you could win big.
That was incredible.
But it missed something important.
The cream didn’t necessarily rise to the top.
What usually won was:
the best advertiser
the most creative at scale
the highest frequency + biggest spender
the brand that stayed most top-of-mind
It was less about the best product and more about who could dominate attention longest.
ChatGPT and similar platforms have a real chance to flip that.
If they build ad products correctly, they can surface the best answers and best products, not just the biggest spenders. Systems where explanation, differentiation, and credibility matter more than raw budget.
If that happens, a $60 CPM isn’t expensive.
It’s probably underpriced.