OpenAI confirmed on Thursday it will display advertisements on the Free and Go subscription tiers of ChatGPT within India.
This decision follows a change to the company’s terms of service earlier this month, which stated that ads would appear while users interact with the AI assistant.
OpenAI noted in February that it holds more than 100 million weekly active ChatGPT users in India. The majority of this group relies on the free tier or the lower-priced Go option.
On Wednesday, the company announced it would initially feature ads from 50 brands. It has partnered with agencies WPP and Omnicom to manage this rollout. An ad manager will launch next month to allow marketers to build campaigns for their companies. These campaigns must maintain a daily minimum budget of ₹725, equivalent to $7.60.
“With ChatGPT Ads, businesses of every size can introduce themselves at relevant, high-context moments when decisions are beginning to take shape,” Dave Dugan, head of global ads solutions at OpenAI, said in a statement.
OpenAI has spent considerable effort building its user base in India. It launched a ChatGPT Go plan for under $5 in August 2025 and ran a limited promotion that made that tier free for a full year. The company also placed heavy advertising during sports tournaments, including the Women’s Premier League and the Indian Premier League cricket leagues. More recently, it hired the head of Uber’s India operations to lead its expansion efforts in the country.
The AI lab began showing ads to users in the United States in February. It expanded the program to serve ads in Europe earlier this month.
With a potential initial public offering expected this year or next, OpenAI is working to increase and secure its revenue streams. According to The Wall Street Journal, the AI lab recorded revenue of $6.7 billion in the second quarter ended June 2026, up from $5.7 billion the previous quarter.
Last November, The Information reported that OpenAI aimed to reach 220 million paying subscribers by 2030. The report stated that at that time, 35 million users paid for its Plus and Pro plans.
What it means
Users on the free and Go plans in India will now see commercial messages while using the tool. This shift moves the cost of development away from paying subscribers and onto the broader user base through advertising revenue.
Marketers can now target users at specific decision points within the AI interface, provided they meet the minimum budget requirement for the new ad manager.
