OpenAI has expanded ChatGPT Ads to India, opening the market to advertisers as part of the company's broader push to build an advertising-supported business. On August 31, OpenAI said advertisers in India, along with markets across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, can purchase ChatGPT ads directly through its self-service Ads Manager.
The development comes less than 200 days after ChatGPT Ads began, with OpenAI saying its advertising business has reached a $1 billion annualised revenue run rate and is now being used by tens of thousands of advertisers.
Which ChatGPT Users Will See Ads?
In India, ads are being introduced primarily for eligible Free and ChatGPT Go users. OpenAI says Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu users do not receive ads. Accounts identified as belonging to users under 18 are also excluded from ads.
The advertisements appear below ChatGPT responses and are clearly labelled as sponsored content. OpenAI says the ads operate separately from the ChatGPT model.
Ads Will Not Influence ChatGPT Answers
One of the biggest concerns surrounding AI advertising is whether advertisers could influence the answers users receive. OpenAI says they cannot.
According to the company's advertising guidelines, advertisers have no ability to shape, rank or alter ChatGPT's responses. Ads and the AI-generated response are handled by separate systems.
This means a sponsored advertisement appearing below a response should not be interpreted as ChatGPT recommending or endorsing that company or product.
India Becomes a Major Advertising Market
India is particularly important for OpenAI because of its rapidly growing ChatGPT user base. The company has been expanding its presence in the country, including through the lower-cost ChatGPT Go plan.
The introduction of advertising gives Indian businesses another way to reach consumers while they are researching products, comparing options or making purchasing decisions through conversational AI.
OpenAI's advertising platform is designed around these moments of high user intent, rather than traditional keyword-based advertising alone.
What It Means for Advertisers
Indian advertisers can now access ChatGPT's advertising ecosystem through OpenAI's Ads Manager. Campaigns can include objectives, budgets, target countries and conversion goals, providing businesses with tools to manage campaigns directly.
The expansion also marks a significant change in the digital advertising landscape. ChatGPT is increasingly becoming a place where users research products, compare services and make decisions, giving advertisers access to consumers at a potentially valuable stage of the buying journey.
For users, however, the key distinction remains clear: ChatGPT's answers and sponsored advertisements are separate. OpenAI says advertising is intended to support broader access to the Free and Go tiers while maintaining the independence of the model's responses.
