OpenAI launched a self-serve Ads Manager in beta, giving any brand access to ad placement inside ChatGPT with no minimum spend, directly competing with Google Ads for the first time. The platform reaches 900 million weekly active users, 50 million of whom conduct shopping queries daily. Early inventory is dominated by retail and consumer goods. Health, financial services, and political advertising are excluded categories. OpenAI is projecting $2.5 billion in ad revenue for 20