Advertising remains exclusive to ChatGPT's Free and Go subscription tiers. Customers using Plus, Pro or Enterprise will continue to receive an ad-free experience. Businesses in the newly supported markets can purchase advertising through OpenAI's technology partners or manage campaigns directly using its Ads Manager platform.
The expansion comes as OpenAI reports substantial growth in advertiser participation. In late August, approximately 20,000 advertisers were using ChatGPT, compared with the more than 100,000 the company now reports. OpenAI has also expanded advertising availability across Europe, Southeast Asia and Taiwan in recent months.
Advertising revenue has increased alongside that growth. OpenAI reported an annualized advertising revenue pace of $1 billion in August, compared with $100 million in March. The company is also reportedly aiming to generate $2.5 billion in advertising revenue this year.
OpenAI is positioning ChatGPT advertising around conversations in which users are researching products, comparing alternatives or considering purchases. The company says more than 1.2 billion people use ChatGPT weekly, providing advertisers with opportunities to reach potential customers while they are actively exploring their options.
Unlike conventional advertising placements, ChatGPT ads can relate to the subject of an ongoing conversation. For example, someone researching nutrition for marathon training could encounter an advertisement for a grocery delivery service that fits their stated preferences.
OpenAI says this approach can help businesses reach consumers before they have settled on a particular product or service. The offering is intended for companies ranging from local businesses to international brands.
L'Oréal Group is among the advertisers experimenting with the platform. Asmita Dubey, the company's chief digital and marketing officer, described the opportunity to reach consumers during AI-assisted product discovery.
"Testing early with OpenAI enables us to pioneer helpful experiences and journeys, from discovery, to evaluation, to agentic commerce, ensuring L’Oréal remains the most trusted, expert answer wherever beauty conversations take place," Dubey said.
The expansion also brings renewed attention to how OpenAI separates advertising from ChatGPT's core functionality. The company maintains that advertisements are identified as sponsored content and displayed independently of the assistant's responses. It also says advertisers cannot access private conversations, customer information is not sold to them, and commercial placements do not affect the answers ChatGPT generates.
OpenAI has presented advertising as a way to help fund access to ChatGPT for users who do not pay for higher-priced subscriptions. The company began testing ads in the United States in February before gradually extending the program internationally.
That strategy differs from the approach taken by competitor Anthropic, which has committed to keeping its Claude chatbot free of advertising. Anthropic highlighted the distinction in its February Super Bowl campaign, directly criticizing the introduction of ads into AI conversations.
OpenAI is continuing to develop its advertising products beyond the current placements. Planned additions include more ad formats, campaign objectives, purchasing methods and performance measurement tools. The company has also begun testing Sponsored Agents with a limited group of U.S. advertisers and is exploring additional ways for businesses to interact with ChatGPT users.
With advertising now available across 89 countries, OpenAI is expanding both the geographic reach of its ad platform and the tools available to participating businesses. The company is maintaining its existing restrictions on which subscription tiers display ads while developing additional commercial features for ChatGPT.
This analysis is based on reporting from OpenAI & CNBC.
Image courtesy of OpenAI.
This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.
