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Up to One in Three Clicks on Some ChatGPT Ads Are Invalid, First Independent Analysis Finds
(MENAFN- Ilex Content Strategies) TrafficGuard finds automated, invalid traffic already consuming ad spend budget in OpenAI's newly launched channel
SYDNEY and NEW YORK, 30 September 2026 – TrafficGuard, the ad verification platform, trusted by over 150 enterprise clients, including Lux Group, OnTheMarket, Singtel and Club Med, has completed the first independent analysis of traffic quality on OpenAI’s paid ads in ChatGPT. From 47 advertisers over three weeks, it found that up to one in three clicks on some campaigns were invalid, and that a large share of that invalid traffic came from a small number of coordinated, automated sources that were active within weeks of the channel launching.
The analysis found that ChatGPT ads were attracting the same non-converting, non-human and low-intent traffic that hits search and social. Invalid rates ranged from 0.1% to 34% by advertiser. Some campaigns were largely clean, whereas others were paying for clicks that had no chance of ever becoming a customer.
Much of the invalid traffic followed a pattern. TrafficGuard found 15 servers at a single hosting provider clicked ads from five different advertisers 318 times over three weeks, on every day of the study. None of those clicks came from a person. Four hosting and proxy networks reached 25 of the 47 advertisers analysed and accounted for half of all invalid clicks recorded.
The pattern also differs from established channels. When compared to the same advertisers’ Google Ads campaigns, ChatGPT clicks came from datacenter and proxy infrastructure at 3.6x the rate. Clicks from device configurations that cannot exist in the real world also appeared 10x the rate. On established channels, most invalid activity is repeat clicks from real people. On ChatGPT, it is machines.
"Invalid traffic and click fraud is not just a problem for mainstream online advertising channels. Even though ChatGPT advertising is in its early days, automated traffic has already found it. It is coordinated, it is persistent and it is clicking every day. Most advertisers have no idea how much of their spend is going to it” said Mathew Ratty, Co-founder and CEO of TrafficGuard. "In the data that we analysed, up to one in three clicks added no value. On the worst-hit account, nearly 90% of flagged clicks came from server infrastructure with no human user behind it. Every dollar spent on a click that can never convert is a dollar taken from a real customer.”
TrafficGuard customers can already see invalid activity on their OpenAI campaigns, with real-time prevention on the channel to follow. Advertisers spent years winning the right to independent verification on Google and Meta. TrafficGuard’s position is that they should not have to wait that long on ChatGPT.
“Some campaigns we analysed were largely clean, but others were paying for clicks that had no chance of converting. What this demonstrates is that waste is rising across every paid channel. OpenAI is not uniquely vulnerable, it is simply the newest place to sell clicks, and low-quality traffic follows the budget wherever it goes” said Miguel Lopes, Chief Product Officer at TrafficGuard.
TrafficGuard is a multi-award-winning platform that detects, mitigates and reports on digital invalid traffic and ad fraud before it hits advertising budgets. It is trusted by thousands of global businesses, including enterprise brands operating across highly competitive verticals such as finance, eCommerce, travel and gaming. The analysis follows TrafficGuard’s recent expansion of its operations in the U.S. as part of a robust growth pipeline.
About the analysis
TrafficGuard analysed paid clicks across 47 enterprise advertisers on OpenAI's ChatGPT ads over a three-week period in September 2026, applying the same 200+ per-click signals it uses to verify traffic on Google and Meta. Clicks were classified as invalid where they originated from datacenter or proxy infrastructure, impossible device configurations, known automation signatures, or repeat patterns with no conversion intent. Advertiser data has been anonymised.
About TrafficGuard
TrafficGuard, a flagship product of Adveritas Ltd (ASX: AV1), is an AI-driven ad verification and click fraud prevention platform. Using advanced machine learning and big data, TrafficGuard helps businesses combat invalid traffic and click fraud, protect advertising budgets and improve campaign ROI. The platform has been recognised by The Drum, Martech Breakthrough Awards and Mobile Marketing.
SYDNEY and NEW YORK, 30 September 2026 – TrafficGuard, the ad verification platform, trusted by over 150 enterprise clients, including Lux Group, OnTheMarket, Singtel and Club Med, has completed the first independent analysis of traffic quality on OpenAI’s paid ads in ChatGPT. From 47 advertisers over three weeks, it found that up to one in three clicks on some campaigns were invalid, and that a large share of that invalid traffic came from a small number of coordinated, automated sources that were active within weeks of the channel launching.
The analysis found that ChatGPT ads were attracting the same non-converting, non-human and low-intent traffic that hits search and social. Invalid rates ranged from 0.1% to 34% by advertiser. Some campaigns were largely clean, whereas others were paying for clicks that had no chance of ever becoming a customer.
Much of the invalid traffic followed a pattern. TrafficGuard found 15 servers at a single hosting provider clicked ads from five different advertisers 318 times over three weeks, on every day of the study. None of those clicks came from a person. Four hosting and proxy networks reached 25 of the 47 advertisers analysed and accounted for half of all invalid clicks recorded.
The pattern also differs from established channels. When compared to the same advertisers’ Google Ads campaigns, ChatGPT clicks came from datacenter and proxy infrastructure at 3.6x the rate. Clicks from device configurations that cannot exist in the real world also appeared 10x the rate. On established channels, most invalid activity is repeat clicks from real people. On ChatGPT, it is machines.
"Invalid traffic and click fraud is not just a problem for mainstream online advertising channels. Even though ChatGPT advertising is in its early days, automated traffic has already found it. It is coordinated, it is persistent and it is clicking every day. Most advertisers have no idea how much of their spend is going to it” said Mathew Ratty, Co-founder and CEO of TrafficGuard. "In the data that we analysed, up to one in three clicks added no value. On the worst-hit account, nearly 90% of flagged clicks came from server infrastructure with no human user behind it. Every dollar spent on a click that can never convert is a dollar taken from a real customer.”
TrafficGuard customers can already see invalid activity on their OpenAI campaigns, with real-time prevention on the channel to follow. Advertisers spent years winning the right to independent verification on Google and Meta. TrafficGuard’s position is that they should not have to wait that long on ChatGPT.
“Some campaigns we analysed were largely clean, but others were paying for clicks that had no chance of converting. What this demonstrates is that waste is rising across every paid channel. OpenAI is not uniquely vulnerable, it is simply the newest place to sell clicks, and low-quality traffic follows the budget wherever it goes” said Miguel Lopes, Chief Product Officer at TrafficGuard.
TrafficGuard is a multi-award-winning platform that detects, mitigates and reports on digital invalid traffic and ad fraud before it hits advertising budgets. It is trusted by thousands of global businesses, including enterprise brands operating across highly competitive verticals such as finance, eCommerce, travel and gaming. The analysis follows TrafficGuard’s recent expansion of its operations in the U.S. as part of a robust growth pipeline.
About the analysis
TrafficGuard analysed paid clicks across 47 enterprise advertisers on OpenAI's ChatGPT ads over a three-week period in September 2026, applying the same 200+ per-click signals it uses to verify traffic on Google and Meta. Clicks were classified as invalid where they originated from datacenter or proxy infrastructure, impossible device configurations, known automation signatures, or repeat patterns with no conversion intent. Advertiser data has been anonymised.
About TrafficGuard
TrafficGuard, a flagship product of Adveritas Ltd (ASX: AV1), is an AI-driven ad verification and click fraud prevention platform. Using advanced machine learning and big data, TrafficGuard helps businesses combat invalid traffic and click fraud, protect advertising budgets and improve campaign ROI. The platform has been recognised by The Drum, Martech Breakthrough Awards and Mobile Marketing.
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