OpenAI has started showing ads to ChatGPT users in India. On August 27, the company confirmed that ads will now appear for logged-in adults on the Free and Go tiers. India joins a growing list of major markets, including the US, Canada, the UK, and much of Europe, where OpenAI now runs its advertising business.
The ads appear at the bottom of ChatGPT responses. However, OpenAI says they will only show up when there’s a relevant sponsored product or service tied to the conversation. Each ad will have a clear “sponsored” label and look visually separate from ChatGPT’s actual answer. According to OpenAI, the ads won’t influence the chatbot’s responses, and advertisers won’t get access to user conversations or personal data.
Who sees the ads?
Only Free and Go tier users will see ads. In India, ChatGPT Go costs ₹399 per month. Meanwhile, anyone on the Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, or Education plans will continue to use ChatGPT without ads. OpenAI also confirmed it won’t show ads to users under 18, and it will keep ads away from sensitive topics like health, mental health, and politics.
Why India?
India is OpenAI’s second-largest market. The company said it had more than 100 million weekly active users in the country as of February 2026, and most of them use the free or Go plans. That massive scale makes India an ideal target for an ad business built around volume.
The timing matters too. OpenAI is preparing for an IPO, expected sometime in 2026 or 2027, and needs steady new revenue streams to support that. OpenAI has projected $2.5 billion in ad revenue for 2026 alone, with an ambitious target of $100 billion by 2030. For context, the company’s overall revenue hit $6.7 billion in the second quarter of 2026, up from $5.7 billion the quarter before.
OpenAI first tested ads with US users in February 2026. Within six weeks, that pilot alone crossed $100 million in annualised revenue. The program was then expanded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, and South Korea. Then, earlier this month, it launched ads across 31 European countries, including Germany, France, Spain, and Italy. India is the next major market on that list, and OpenAI has also brought in former Uber India president Prabhjeet Singh to lead its India operations as the company scales up.
What does this mean for advertisers?
OpenAI will open access to a ChatGPT Ads Manager in India on September 4. From that date, businesses of any size can sign up, with daily budgets starting at ₹725. OpenAI says more than 50 brands already plan to go live with ads on ChatGPT in the country this week.
The Big Picture
For years, Sam Altman called advertising a “last resort” for ChatGPT. He worried ads could hurt user trust in the platform. That stance has clearly shifted. OpenAI now treats ads as a core part of how it funds the free and low-cost tiers that make up most of its user base.
For Indian users, this means sponsored content will start showing up in a place many rely on for research, writing, and everyday tasks. For businesses, it opens a new advertising channel built directly into AI conversations, rather than search results or social feeds.