OpenAI is showing ads in ChatGPT for the first time: in India, logged-in adults on the Free and Go tiers will start seeing sponsored ads. India is OpenAI’s second-largest ChatGPT market after the US.
Where and how the ads appear
Ads appear below responses when a relevant sponsored product or service is available. They are clearly labeled and visually separated from ChatGPT’s answers. At launch, ads from 50 brands are planned; OpenAI names WPP and Omnicom as agency partners.
The privacy commitments
According to OpenAI, ads do not influence responses. Advertisers receive neither chats nor histories, memories or personal details; user data is not sold. Excluded are accounts identified as belonging to minors, along with sensitive areas such as politics, health and mental health.
Background
OpenAI announced its advertising plans in January 2026 and initially tested them in the US. An ad manager for self-serve campaigns is due next month (minimum budget around 725 rupees, or about $7.60 per day). The move comes as OpenAI works to offset its enormous costs.
Sources: TechCrunch, Business Standard.
