ChatGPT is showing ads in India
Free and Go users over 18 will see them. Paid plans stay ad-free.
ChatGPT users in India will start seeing ads inside their chats. OpenAI said so on Thursday, 27 August.
The ads will go to people over 18 on the Free and Go tiers. Subscribers on Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education will not see them.
OpenAI said ads will be labelled as sponsored. They will appear below an answer when there is a relevant product or service. The company said the ads will not change the model's replies. They will not run next to sensitive topics, including mental health and politics.
The same approach is already in use in the United States and Europe.
TechCrunch said OpenAI changed its terms of service earlier this month to allow ads. The company will start with 50 brands. It has partnered with agencies WPP and Omnicom.
An ad manager is due next month. Marketers will need a daily minimum budget of Rs 725, or about $7.60.
India is one of OpenAI's largest markets. The company said in February it had more than 100 million weekly active ChatGPT users in the country. A large share of them sit on Free or the cheaper Go plan.
OpenAI has worked to grow that base. It launched a sub-$5 Go plan in August 2025. It ran a promo that made the tier free for a year. It advertised during the Women's Premier League and the IPL. It recently hired Uber's India head to lead expansion.
Dave Dugan, who runs global ads at OpenAI, said businesses can show up at high-context moments when decisions are forming.
The ads push also sits in front of a possible IPO this year or next. The Wall Street Journal said OpenAI booked $6.7 billion in revenue in the quarter ended June 2026, up from $5.7 billion the quarter before.
Last November The Information reported a target of 220 million paying subscribers by 2030. At the time, 35 million users paid for Plus and Pro.
US users started seeing ads in February. Europe followed earlier this month. India is the next large market on that path.
Free and Go users over 18 should expect the first sponsored blocks soon. Paid plans stay ad-free for now.