OpenAI has reportedly projected a dramatic increase in its advertising revenue, expecting to hit $2.5 billion this year and a staggering $100 billion by 2030.
The ambitious revenue forecasts of the Sam Altman-led company were presented to investors, Axios reported on Thursday. OpenAI's ad pilot earned $100 million annual recurring revenue in under two months, with strong growth projected, and it told investors that it anticipates its 2026 ad revenue of $2.5 billion to rise to $11 billion in 2027, $25 billion in 2028, and $53 billion by 2029.
These estimates are based on the assumption that OpenAI's products will reach 2.75 billion weekly users by 2030, capturing a significant portion of the global ad market currently dominated by tech giants like Google
Altman Bets Big On Ad Revenue
OpenAI's revenue projections come in the wake of a significant 17% increase in the AI startup's annualized revenue, which surpassed $25 billion as of February. The company's ambitious growth trajectory is indicative of the increasing role of AI in ad matching, as highlighted by Google's recent success with its AI ad machine.
Google's Gemini models have enabled more precise ad matches, leading to a revenue boost for brands and highlighting the importance of AI in capturing new search queries.
While OpenAI banks on ads to expand reach while keeping data use transparent, its rival Anthropic insists its Claude AI will stay ad-free.
In another development, OpenAI is also reportedly finalizing a model with enhanced cybersecurity capabilities through its existing "Trusted Access for Cyber" program, which it plans to release exclusively to a select group of companies, as per Axios.
This move mirrors Anthropic's limited rollout of Mythos, according to reports on Tuesday. The Dario Amodei-led company is previewing its new Mythos AI model to select tech and cybersecurity firms only, citing concerns that its advanced capabilities could exploit security flaws. The company is withholding public release until safeguards are in place.
OpenAI did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comments.
