ChatGPT’s traffic surge is good news for brands. For publishers, it’s complicated

OpenAI is building an ad business, and it runs on clicks. Publishers are the credibility layer that makes it work.

[Source Image: Getty Images]

Pete Pachal is a journalist and the creator of Media Copilot, a newsletter and podcast that examines how AI is changing media, journalism, and the news.

OpenAI made a change to how ChatGPT links to websites in the spring, and barely anybody noticed. Starting on May 7, ChatGPT began sending considerably more traffic to websites. Referrals jumped 157% overnight and have stayed there, according to new data. On the same day, OpenAI also began rolling out........

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