OpenAI to bring ChatGPT ads to India's free and Go tiers

The move follows a change OpenAI made to its terms of service earlier this month indicating it would show ads to users while they use the assistant. OpenAI said in February it has more than 100 million weekly active ChatGPT users in India, a large share of them on the free or lower-priced Go tiers.

The company said it will start with ads from 50 brands, working with agencies WPP and Omnicom, and will launch an ad manager next month letting marketers build campaigns with a daily minimum budget of ₹725 ($7.60). “With ChatGPT Ads, businesses of every size can introduce themselves at relevant, high-context moments when decisions are beginning to take shape,” said Dave Dugan, OpenAI’s head of global ads solutions.

OpenAI has worked hard to grow its India user base, launching a sub-$5 ChatGPT Go plan in August 2025 and running a limited promotion that made the tier free for a full year, while advertising heavily during cricket tournaments like the Women’s Premier League and the Indian Premier League. It also hired Uber’s India head to lead its expansion efforts in the country. The company started showing ads to US users in February and expanded the program to Europe earlier this month.

Ahead of a potential IPO expected this year or next, OpenAI has been working to ramp up and cement its revenue sources. According to The Wall Street Journal, the company recorded $6.7 billion in revenue in the second quarter ended June 2026, up from $5.7 billion the previous quarter. The Information reported last November that OpenAI was aiming for 220 million paying subscribers by 2030, when at the time only 35 million users paid for its Plus and Pro plans.

Why it matters

Ads in one of ChatGPT’s largest free-tier markets show OpenAI leaning on advertising, not just subscriptions, to fund the spending behind its IPO ambitions.