#e4mBreaking:  OpenAI rolls out ChatGPT Ads in India

OpenAI today (on Thursday) announced the launch of ChatGPT Ads in India, making the country one of the latest markets to get access to the company's advertising programme.

The ads will initially be available to logged-in adults using ChatGPT's Free and Go tiers. Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Education subscribers will continue to have an ad-free experience, according to OpenAI.

Ads may appear below a ChatGPT response when the system identifies a relevant sponsored product or service. The Sam Altman-led company said the ads will be clearly labelled as sponsored and visually separated from ChatGPT's response.

The India rollout follows OpenAI's launch of ad testing in the US in February and subsequent expansion into markets including the UK, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

“India is one of the most dynamic markets in the world for how people use ChatGPT to learn, build, and discover. Our weekly active users have doubled year-on-year, with many of them going beyond simple searches and changing how they make decisions,” said Dave Dugan, Vice President and Head of Global Ads Solutions, OpenAI.

The launch comes as ChatGPT usage in India continues to expand. OpenAI said its weekly active users in India have doubled year-on-year. 

India's scale also makes the market significant from an advertising perspective. WPP Media estimates that India's advertising market will grow 9.7% in 2026 to ₹2.02 lakh crore, with digital accounting for 68.1% of advertising revenue.

For OpenAI, the India launch follows a broader effort to build its consumer and business presence in the country. Earlier this year, the company announced its ‘OpenAI for India’ initiative, focused on expanding AI access, enterprise adoption, skills and local partnerships.

It had also stepped up its consumer marketing in the country through its association with the Women's Premier League (WPL), ahead of the advertising launch.

WPP, Omnicom to be first agency partners

WPP and Omnicom will be OpenAI's first agency partners for ChatGPT Ads in India. According to the company, the agencies will bring expertise across strategy, creative, measurement, brand safety and campaign execution. More than 50 brands set to go live with advertisements on ChatGPT in India this week.

The arrangement is non-exclusive, and OpenAI said it will continue to work with other agencies as the programme expands.

The involvement of major agency groups gives the new platform an early route into the country's established media-buying ecosystem. How ChatGPT Ads eventually fit into advertisers' existing search, social, commerce and other digital budgets, however, will depend on campaign performance and advertiser adoption.

Self-serve Ad Manager 

OpenAI will open self-serve access to its ChatGPT Ads Manager in India on September 4. Businesses of all sizes will be able to sign up, with daily budgets starting at ₹725.

The self-serve model potentially broadens the advertiser base beyond large brands and agency-managed campaigns, although the extent to which small and mid-sized businesses adopt the platform will become clearer once the product is more widely available.

OpenAI has been expanding its advertising infrastructure beyond its initial tests, including campaign management, measurement and buying capabilities.

Privacy and ad separation

OpenAI is also placing emphasis on the separation between advertising and ChatGPT's responses.

The company said ads will not influence the answers generated by ChatGPT. Advertisers will receive aggregate campaign-performance information, such as impressions and clicks, but will not have access to individual users' conversations, chat history, memories or personal details.

OpenAI also said it does not sell user data to advertisers. Ads will not be shown on accounts belonging to people who identify themselves, or are predicted, to be under 18. The company said advertising will also be restricted around sensitive or regulated topics, including mental health and politics.

Users will be able to dismiss ads, provide feedback and manage advertising personalisation, according to OpenAI.

More formats & buying options expected 

OpenAI said it expects to refine the advertising experience based on feedback from users and advertisers and introduce additional formats, campaign objectives and buying options over time.

For the Indian advertising industry, the launch adds another platform to an increasingly crowded digital ecosystem spanning search, social media, connected TV, retail media and commerce platforms.

The more significant question will be whether conversational AI develops into a meaningful advertising environment and whether advertisers allocate incremental budgets to it or shift spending from existing digital channels.

With the India rollout, OpenAI is beginning to test that proposition in one of the world's largest digital advertising markets. Its initial agency partnerships, advertiser uptake and campaign performance will offer the first indications of how ChatGPT Ads could fit into India's broader media ecosystem.