ChatGPT starts showing ads from 50 brands in India, OpenAI says chats stay private

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Ads in India, with advertisements rolling out to logged-in adult users on Free and Go plans. Businesses will be able to access the self-serve Ads Manager from September 4, with daily budgets starting at Rs 725.OpenAI has begun rolling out sponsored messages inside ChatGPT for logged-in adult users in India.OpenAI is bringing its advertising platform to India, allowing businesses to place sponsored messages inside ChatGPT as the company expands its ads program in one of its biggest markets. The rollout begins this week for logged-in adults using the Free and Go tiers.The company said more than 50 brands are planning to launch advertisements on ChatGPT in India this week. WPP and Omnicom will be OpenAI's first agency partners in the country, supporting advertisers with campaign strategy, creative work, measurement and brand safety. OpenAI said the agency arrangement is non-exclusive and that it plans to work with more agencies as the advertising programme develops.ChatGPT Ads coming September 4For businesses that want to manage campaigns themselves, OpenAI will open self-serve access to its ChatGPT Ads Manager in India on September 4. The platform will allow businesses of different sizes to start advertising with daily budgets from as little as Rs 725.The ads are designed to appear below a ChatGPT response when there is a relevant sponsored product or service. OpenAI said advertisements will be clearly labelled as sponsored and kept visually separate from the AI-generated response. A key part of the company's approach is that advertising will not affect the answers generated by ChatGPT. OpenAI said its responses will continue to be based on what is most useful to the user rather than the interests of an advertiser.“India is one of the most dynamic markets in the world for how people use ChatGPT to learn, build, and discover,” said Dave Dugan, Vice President and Head of Global Ads Solutions at OpenAI. He added that weekly active users in India have doubled year-on-year, with many users relying on ChatGPT to explore options and make decisions rather than simply search for information. “Our goal is to make those interactions useful, help marketers design for intelligent experiences, and preserve what makes ChatGPT valuable: independent answers, conversations that stay private from advertisers, and meaningful user control,” Dugan said.OpenAI says ads won't affect ChatGPT answersOpenAI also said advertisers will not have access to users' conversations, chat history, memories or personal details. Instead, businesses will receive aggregated campaign information such as impressions and clicks. The company said it does not sell user data to advertisers.Users will have controls over the advertising experience, including options to dismiss ads, provide feedback and manage personalisation. OpenAI also said users can clear data used for advertising.Ads will not appear on accounts belonging to people who identify themselves, or are predicted, to be under 18. The company also plans to keep advertisements away from sensitive or regulated subjects, including politics and mental health.- EndsPublished By: Ankita GargPublished On: Aug 27, 2026 10:24 IST