The advertising of AI chatbots finally has a third-party "demon mirror". data analytics companySimilarweb recently launched an AI advertising tracking data set, revealing for the first time from a third-party perspectiveChatGPTand advertising placement in Google AI search. The data shows:ChatGPTAbout 26% of responses contained sponsored ads, and sponsored results appeared in about 30% of advertising compliance queries under Google AI mode..
How is the AI advertising black box opened?
Similarweb's approach differs from traditional "synthetic queries" (tested with preset prompts) - it usesAnonymous user real browsing data panel, by analyzing the interaction between a large number of real users and AI products, to count the frequency and type of advertisements. This is closer to real usage scenarios than artificially constructed prompt tests, and also avoids the bias of "you use a certain prompt to test that there are ads, but actual users will not ask that question."
This tracking system coversChatGPTand Google AI Mode/AI OverviewsThe two major platforms can be segmented by industry, advertisers, advertising formats and other dimensions.
What do 26% and 30% mean?
At first glance, an advertising rate of 26%-30% may not seem high, but there are several key contexts to understand:
- Not all responses are suitable for advertising: Users ask "Write a poem for me" or "Explain quantum mechanics". These scenarios are naturally not suitable for advertising. AI advertising is more concentrated on commercial inquiries - "Recommend a projector", "Which CRM is good to use" - in such inquiries, the advertising penetration rate may far exceed 30%
- The invisibility of AI advertising: Unlike traditional search ads (clearly labeled "advertising"), ads in AI conversations often appear in the form of "recommendations" and "suggestions", making it difficult for users to distinguish which ones are real recommendations and which ones are paid promotions.
- This is just the beginning: Google AI Mode andChatGPTThe advertising system is still undergoing rapid iteration, and advertising rates may increase significantly in the future.
AI search commercialization: faster and more radical than traditional search
It took Google's traditional search advertising (AdWords) nearly 20 years to become a business model with annual revenue exceeding $200 billion. And AI conversational advertising starts fromChatGPT Counting from its launch at the end of 2022, it has already reached a very high penetration rate in commercial inquiries in less than 4 years.
The reason is simple:AI companies are burning money too fast. OpenAI’s annual operating costs exceed tens of billions of dollars, and Google has invested tens of billions of dollars in AI infrastructure—the money has to be earned back from somewhere. Advertising is the most mature monetization model on the Internet, bar none.
What does it mean for users?
The rise of AI advertising has a dual impact on ordinary users:
- good news: AI tools can remain free or low-priced without all switching to paid subscriptions. Advertising revenue allows AI companies to continue to provide free services
- bad news: The objectivity of AI responses is being eroded. whenChatGPTUsers need to be more vigilant when the "recommendations" are driven by advertising fees - the "best option" you see may just be the "highest bid" option
Summary: AI conversation is becoming the next “search engine”
Similarweb’s data reveals an ongoing trend: AI conversations are changing from “pure information tools” to “commercial platforms with advertising.” That’s not a bad thing—advertising is the cornerstone of free content on the Internet—but transparency and users’ right to know are crucial. AI companies need to clearly mark which replies are paid promotions, rather than letting users guess whether this is a sincere recommendation from the AI or an advertisement. If you’re looking for truly objective AI tool reviews,AI Dash Provides independent reviews and 5-dimensional ratings to help you make decisions that are not influenced by advertising.