It seems you can’t escape the advertising industry.
OpenAI announced on Thursday that it will begin displaying ads on ChatGPT Free and Go subscription tiers in India. The move comes after the company changed its terms of service earlier this month to indicate that it would show ads when users are using its AI assistant.
OpenAI announced in February that it has more than 100 million weekly active ChatGPT users in India, the majority of whom are in the free or low-cost Go tier.
The company announced Wednesday that it will start by showing ads for 50 brands and has partnered with agencies WPP and Omnicom to do so. Next month, OpenAI will also release an advertising manager that will allow marketers to create their own campaigns, provided the campaign has a minimum daily budget of ₹725 ($7.60).
“ChatGPT Ads allows businesses of all sizes to introduce themselves in relevant, high-context moments when decisions begin to take shape,” Dave Dugan, head of global advertising solutions at OpenAI, said in a statement.
OpenAI is keen to develop its user base in India, launching ChatGPT Go’s sub-$5 plan in August 2025 with an exclusive promotion that makes its usage free for one year. It also heavily promoted its products during sports tournaments such as Women’s Premier League (WPL) and Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket leagues. The company recently hired Uber’s head of India to lead its expansion in the country.
AI Labs began showing ads to users in the U.S. in February and expanded the program to serve ads in Europe earlier this month.
OpenAI is looking to shore up and lock in revenue streams ahead of an expected IPO this year or next. According to the Wall Street Journal, AI Labs posted revenue of $6.7 billion in the second quarter ending June 2026, up from $5.7 billion in the previous quarter.
Last November, The Information reported that OpenAI aims to reach 220 million paying subscribers by 2030. At that time, 35 million users paid for the Plus and Pro plans, the report said.
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