OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Ads in India, extending its advertising programme to one of the platform’s largest and most active markets. The rollout will initially cover logged-in adult users on the Free and Go plans, while Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Education subscriptions will remain ad-free.
The move creates a new advertising opportunity for businesses seeking to reach users while they explore options, compare choices and make decisions through conversation. Ads may appear below ChatGPT responses when relevant and will remain clearly labelled as sponsored and visually separate from the platform’s answers.
WPP and Omnicom join as OpenAI’s first agency partners for ChatGPT Ads in India. Their involvement will help establish the local advertising ecosystem, with more than 50 brands expected to begin running campaigns on ChatGPT in the country. OpenAI said the model remains non-exclusive and it will continue working with additional agencies.
Self-serve access to ChatGPT Ads Manager is scheduled to open in India on 4th September, allowing businesses of different sizes to create and manage campaigns with daily budgets starting from Rs 725.
Dave Dugan, Vice President and Head of Global Ads Solutions, OpenAI, said India is one of the world’s most dynamic markets for ChatGPT, with weekly active users doubling year-on-year. He noted that people increasingly use the platform to explore options and weigh trade-offs through conversation, creating opportunities for businesses to connect with users at relevant moments.
The company has built its advertising approach around user trust and five key principles: answer independence, conversation privacy, choice and control, mission alignment and long-term value. OpenAI states that advertisers do not receive access to individual chats, chat history, memories or personal details, while user data is not sold to advertisers. Advertisers instead receive aggregate campaign information such as impressions and clicks.
Users will also be able to dismiss advertisements, provide feedback, understand why an advert was shown and manage their advertising preferences. Ads will not influence ChatGPT’s responses, which continue to be generated independently based on what is most helpful to the user.
OpenAI also applies restrictions around where advertisements can appear, including safeguards for sensitive and vulnerable conversations. Accounts identified as belonging to people under 18 are excluded from advertising.
The launch reflects OpenAI’s wider effort to support free and lower-cost access to AI tools while creating new opportunities for businesses to reach consumers. As the programme develops, the company expects to introduce additional advertising formats, objectives and buying options while maintaining a clear separation between advertising and ChatGPT’s answers.
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