Google's Gemini Taps Lee Byung-hun to Chase ChatGPT as AI Ad War Intensifies
Google and OpenAI are colliding head-on on the advertising front in the generative artificial intelligence (AI) market. Google is leveraging celebrities such as actor Lee Byung-hun to enhance mainstream accessibility, while OpenAI is pursuing a brand-centric strategy that emphasizes everyday utility — with both simultaneously courting users and advertisers.
According to industry sources on the 15th, Google recently enlisted actor Lee Byung-hun, Kim Go-eun, and economics YouTuber Shuka for its "Google AI Pro" advertising campaign. The ad videos have surpassed 10 million views, generating significant buzz. An AI industry insider noted, "The intent is to increase accessibility to AI technology by featuring stars the public finds familiar," adding, "For Google, which needs to chase ChatGPT, this is a strategy to maximize advertising impact by leveraging its formidable capital and brand recognition."
By contrast, ChatGPT ads feature no celebrities. Under the theme "For all of it," the campaign emphasizes that ChatGPT can be used anytime in everyday life — from wedding planning and moving to achieving personal goals. Suh Yong-gu, a professor of business administration at Sookmyung Women's University, commented, "Because ChatGPT is a pioneer in the generative AI industry, it aims to promote the brand itself in its purest form rather than relying on celebrities. It's advertising that conveys pride as a first mover."
A Two-Horse Race in the South Korean Market
The advertising rivalry is also reflected in actual user metrics. According to Wiseapp·Retail, an app and payment data analytics firm, ChatGPT was the most-used generative AI service among South Koreans last month, with monthly active users (MAU) reaching 24.7 million. Google's Gemini ranked second with 9.87 million. Both figures represent all-time highs for the respective services.
The presence of South Korean-made services in the domestic generative AI market remains negligible. The only South Korean services in the top 10 were SK Telecom's "A." (1.1 million users) and AI startup Wrtn Technologies' "Wrtn" (380,000 users). While these statistics count only smartphone users and exclude PC users — meaning actual figures may differ — it appears clear that the South Korean AI market has already been overtaken by foreign Big Tech.
Seismic Shifts Felt in the Advertiser Market
Beyond the competition for users, the battle over advertiser budgets is also showing notable changes. According to a Bank of America (BofA) survey of 117 advertisers and ad agencies, 26% of respondents identified ChatGPT as the platform where ad spending will increase most over the next 12 months. That figure surpasses both Google Search (19%) and YouTube (11%).
However, on a current-spend basis, Google Search still maintains an overwhelming advantage. When asked which platform saw the largest increase in spending relative to existing allocations, 30% of respondents chose Google Search — double the 15% for Facebook — while YouTube and ChatGPT each came in at just 9%. Google Search also ranked first (33%) when respondents were asked which platform delivers the best return on ad spend (ROAS), followed by Facebook at 15% and ChatGPT at 6%.
Alphabet (GOOGL) earnings underscore Google's current dominance. Second-quarter Google Search and other revenue rose 17% year over year to $63.27 billion, while Google's total advertising revenue reached $81.63 billion. Alphabet attributed the search revenue growth to expanded advertiser spending and improvements in ad formats and placement.
ChatGPT's Advertising Business Scales Rapidly
OpenAI is rapidly building the infrastructure needed to convert advertiser interest into actual spending. In May, the company introduced a beta version of its self-service ad manager, cost-per-click (CPC) bidding, and additional measurement capabilities, enabling more businesses to directly purchase and manage ChatGPT ads.
Commercial results have already reached meaningful scale. In August, OpenAI announced that ChatGPT advertising had surpassed an annualized revenue run rate of $1 billion less than 200 days after launch, with tens of thousands of advertisers using the platform.
The BofA survey also captures this shift. 28% of respondents said they already use ChatGPT for advertising, and 43% said they intend to begin using it within the next 12 months. Spending levels, however, remain modest. Only 11% of advertisers allocate more than 5% of their ad budget to ChatGPT, while 21% said they allocate between 1% and 5%.
When asked where future ChatGPT ad budgets would come from, 15% of respondents said they would reduce Google Search budgets to fund it. Traditional advertising (10%) and Facebook (8%) followed. Roughly half said the question did not apply to them or they were unsure.
Meta's Presence
Meta Platforms (META) demonstrates that the digital advertising market is not a zero-sum game where winners simply change — the overall pie is growing. Meta's second-quarter advertising revenue rose 27% year over year to $59.36 billion. Ad impressions increased 14%, while the average price per ad rose 12%.
Meta also received positive marks in the BofA survey. 33% of respondents said their Meta spending exceeded original plans. Instagram's sequential spending also showed strength, with 38% reporting budget increases in Q2 versus only 16% reporting cuts.
The fourth-quarter outlook, however, is relatively less optimistic. For Facebook, 38% of respondents expect spending increases, but 51% anticipate decreases or flat spending. Instagram fared better than Facebook but still trailed Google Search.
In its report, BofA noted, "ChatGPT has not dismantled the existing hierarchy," but added, "The very fact that it has entered the competition for advertiser dollars is itself a change." The analysis suggests that where the next dollar goes matters more than where ad dollars sit today.
Google Search remains the most powerful platform by current measures, but ChatGPT is generating the highest expectations among marketers for growth over the next 12 months. As the battle for advertising market leadership intertwines with the competition for users, the AI supremacy contest among Big Tech is unfolding in an increasingly complex fashion.