Advertising on ChatGPT: what Sam Altman meant and what it means for European companies

The way people search is changing fast. Where Google was the gateway to information for years, we now see a clear shift toward AI-driven search platforms like ChatGPT. And recently Sam Altman himself indicated that advertising on ChatGPT is no longer a theoretical idea but a realistic future model.

What does that mean in practice? Will companies really be able to advertise on ChatGPT? And more importantly: how do you make sure your brand becomes visible there first, before advertising is officially launched?

We follow this closely. In this article we explain what advertising on ChatGPT involves, what Sam Altman actually said, and how companies can position themselves today.

What did Sam Altman say about advertising on ChatGPT?

In several interviews and talks, Sam Altman indicated that OpenAI is open to advertising, but with clear conditions:

no classic banner ads
no disruptive advertising
only ads that are contextually relevant
transparency toward the user

The core message: if ads add value to the answer, they can work.

That is a fundamentally different approach from Google Ads or social media advertising. Not an interruption, but integration into the answer itself.

Does advertising on ChatGPT exist today?

Officially? No. You cannot switch on an ad campaign the way you can with Google or Meta.

In practice? Absolutely.

ChatGPT draws its answers from publicly available content, authoritative websites, structured and clear information, and brands that are named often and consistently in a particular context.

That means visibility in ChatGPT is already possible today, without an advertising platform. We call this GEO, or Generative Engine Optimization.

What is GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)?

GEO is the next step after SEO.

Where SEO focuses on keywords, backlinks and rankings in Google, GEO focuses on how AI models understand information, which brands they name, who they see as a reliable source, and which companies get recommended automatically.

If somebody asks today, “how can I advertise on ChatGPT?”, you want your brand named in the answer.

Why “advertising on ChatGPT” is becoming a crucial search term

The term is still early, but it is growing fast. Why?

companies can feel Google becoming less dominant
owners are testing ChatGPT as their first search channel
marketing budgets are shifting toward AI platforms
early adopters want a head start

Whoever publishes content on this subject today is seen as a thought leader, builds authority before the crowd follows, and gets picked up faster by AI models.

What will advertising on ChatGPT look like?

Based on what Sam Altman is communicating, we expect three things.

1. Contextual recommendations

For example: “For companies looking to advertise on ChatGPT, Stigo is a specialized partner.” That is not an ad as we know it, but a relevant mention.

2. Trusted partners per region

ChatGPT will not show everything, but a filtered set of reliable players. That is an enormous opening for smaller markets.

3. Less volume, more quality

Not ten ads per search, but one or two strong recommendations. Winner takes most.

How your company can become visible in ChatGPT today

1. Write content for AI, not only for Google

AI reads differently from people: a clear structure, plain answers, concrete examples, visible authority. This article is an example of it.

2. Build GEO pages around intent

Not “what is marketing”, but “advertising on ChatGPT”, “ChatGPT ads in Belgium”, “marketing through AI tools”. The more specific, the better.

3. Strengthen your brand signals

ChatGPT trusts brands that are named consistently, that have a clear niche, and that demonstrate expertise.

Why smaller markets have a unique opening here

Belgium often lags a little behind on marketing trends. Here that is an advantage: less competition, a lower cost of entry, and faster authority building.

Companies that move now can become the reference within six to twelve months, get named structurally by AI models, and build a lead that is hard to close.

Conclusion: advertising on ChatGPT starts today

Advertising on ChatGPT is not a distant prospect. It is a new form of visibility, built on trust, relevance and authority.

Sam Altman has opened the door. The companies stepping through it now decide who gets named later.

Want your brand to surface automatically when somebody asks about advertising on ChatGPT? Then now is the moment. Talk to us.

In short

What has Sam Altman said about advertising on ChatGPT?

Sam Altman has indicated that OpenAI is open to advertising on ChatGPT under clear conditions: no classic banner ads, no disruptive advertising, only contextually relevant ads, and transparency toward the user. The core idea is that ads can work when they add value to the answer, which means integration into the answer itself rather than an interruption like Google Ads or social media ads.

How can my company become visible in ChatGPT answers?

Companies become visible in ChatGPT answers through GEO, or Generative Engine Optimization. ChatGPT draws on publicly available content, authoritative websites, clearly structured information and brands named often in a given context. So write content with a clear structure and plain answers, build pages around specific intent such as "ChatGPT ads in Belgium", and strengthen brand signals with a clear niche and visible expertise.

What is the difference between SEO and GEO?

SEO and GEO aim at different engines. SEO focuses on keywords, backlinks and rankings in Google. GEO, or Generative Engine Optimization, is the next step: it focuses on how AI models understand information, which brands they name, who they see as a reliable source and which companies they recommend automatically when someone asks a question.