OpenAI has signed deals with ad software firms Magnite (MGNI) and PubMatic (PUBM) to fill unused ad space on ChatGPT, according to The Information citing sources

OpenAI has signed deals with ad software firms Magnite (MGNI) and PubMatic (PUBM) to fill unused ad space on ChatGPT, according to The Information citing sources.

Commercial agreements of this kind, an AI platform engaging programmatic intermediaries to fill unsold inventory, follow a well-worn sequence in digital media: direct-sold demand rarely fills available supply in the early stages of an ad business, so platforms plug into third-party sell-side pipes while building out their own sales infrastructure. Search and social platforms at comparable stages have historically started with exactly this kind of arrangement before either bringing monetisation in-house or deepening exclusive partnerships, so the structure of the deal matters more than its existence. The named counterparties are independent sell-side platforms whose economics turn on take rates and incremental inventory, meaning the revenue signal for them depends on fill volumes and terms that are not disclosed here. It is worth noting this is a single-source report attributed to unnamed parties; items carried on this basis often precede confirmation, denial, or material revision, and the first follow-on to watch is whether either counterparty or OpenAI acknowledges the arrangement. A secondary thread is the strategic read-across: an ad-supported layer inside a major AI assistant has implications for the platform's largest backer and for the incumbents whose ad budgets such inventory would compete for, and prior episodes of platform monetisation shifts have tended to surface in partner commentary before formal announcements.