Every day, an adviser or planner tells me they’ve had a lead from AI.

And the Yardstick AI Index shows that traffic from AI to adviser/planner websites is up 118% over the last six months.

The evidence is clear: more consumers are using AI to find businesses like yours.

For the advisers/planners who grasp it, the opportunity is huge. And it’s about to get even bigger because OpenAI (the company behind the UK’s most-used AI platform, ChatGPT) has announced it’s about to start testing ads.

Here’s a breakdown of what we know so far.

#1. The capital expenditure of firms like OpenAI, coupled with investor expectations and competitor pressure, means it’s no surprise they’re exploring advertising.

#2. Initially, ads are being tested in the US over the coming weeks on the free and Go plans. Those who have the Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise subscriptions will not see ads.

#3. The ads will be at the bottom of answers in ChatGPT and will always be “separate and clearly labelled”.

#4. OpenAI has said that ads will not influence its answers, and they committed to not sharing personal data with advertisers.

#5. Users will be able to “dismiss” ads and tell OpenAI why.

#6. During the testing period, OpenAI has said that ads will not appear to under 18s or near sensitive topics such as health, mental wellbeing, or politics.

#7. Pricing looks like it’s heading towards a “cost per thousand views” (CPM) model (that’s what early reporting suggests), not a simple pay-per-click model like many people associate with Google.

#8. OpenAI gave some examples of how adverts will look. Click here and scroll down to see them.

To be honest, the announcement from OpenAI was long on promises and short on detail.

There’s no doubt however that, in the coming months, the ability for businesses to advertise on the platform will be extended even further. Indeed, in the announcement, OpenAI said: “Ads also can be transformative for small businesses and emerging brands trying to compete”.

It’s also certain that other platforms will be forced to adopt similar models in the search for revenue.

ChatGPT’s 389% growth in users

The number of people using ChatGPT in the UK is rising exponentially. Ofcom reports that in the first eight months of 2025, in the UK alone, ChatGPT had 1.8 billion visits, up 389% on the same period in 2024.

And that’s just ChatGPT. Add other platforms, and you start to see both the pace of the change and the size of the opportunity, especially now that advertising is being thrown into the mix.

OpenAI’s announcement that advertising is being trialled leads to two opportunities for UK-based advisers/planners.

Opportunity #1: Improve the chances of AI organically recommending you

Use the imminent arrival of advertising as motivation to improve your organic profile on AI platforms such as ChatGPT.

Google searches are all about visibility. AI is all about recommendations. And we’ve said before that, in 2026, you have a window of opportunity to take some key actions that’ll improve the chances of AI recommending your business.

That means doing five key things:

#1. Carrying out your own research to understand whether AI is already recommending you.

#2. Building a page on your website for each town or city where your ideal clients live.

#3. Explaining on your website the type of clients you work with.

#4. Collecting reviews on both Google and VouchedFor.

#5. Building comprehensive FAQs on your website.

Opportunity #2: Be an early adopter when ads reach the UK

Frankly, most advice/planning firms in the UK are well behind the curve when it comes to understanding (let alone taking advantage of) the opportunity to use AI to generate new enquiries.

So a tiny number will even think about advertising on AI platforms.

Even fewer will do it.

Which means there could be a window of opportunity with very little competition.

If you’re one of the firms using it, you could get outsized returns, even if only for a short period, while OpenAI (and others) refine their advertising models (and before your competitors cotton onto the opportunity).

Watch this space

Advertising on ChatGPT isn’t available in the UK. Yet.

It’s coming though, and our fellow AI nerds reading this will naturally keep up with developments themselves.

Everyone else can rely on us to do the hard work for you and summarise the changes in our weekly blogs.

In the meantime, if you’d like to learn more about how we can help your business be recommended by AI, call 0115 8965 300 or email hi@theyardstickagency.co.uk.

We’d love to help you take advantage of the opportunity.