ChatGPT ads expand to 26 more countries, now live in 89
OpenAI is bringing ChatGPT ads to 26 more countries across Latin America, Africa, Europe and Asia. Free and Go users see ads; paid tiers don't.
The skim
- OpenAI is bringing ChatGPT ads to 26 more countries, which puts them in 89 countries in total, the company said on October 21.
- The new markets include 14 more Latin American countries, such as Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru, plus Nigeria, South Africa, Serbia, Ukraine, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
- Ads only appear for people on the Free and Go plans. Plus, Pro and Enterprise stay ad-free, and OpenAI says more than 100,000 advertisers have now run campaigns.
What happened
In a post on Wednesday, OpenAI said it is "expanding ChatGPT Ads to 26 additional countries, extending availability to 89 countries worldwide." It follows earlier launches in Mexico and Brazil and recent expansions across Europe, Southeast Asia and Taiwan. Advertisers in the new markets can buy ads through technology partners or set campaigns up themselves in OpenAI's Ads Manager.
OpenAI says it launched ads "just over eight months ago" and that more than 100,000 advertisers have run campaigns since. The company pitches ChatGPT as a place where people are actively deciding what to buy. Its example is someone planning meals for marathon week who could be shown a grocery delivery service they hadn't considered.
The rules OpenAI says it follows
OpenAI repeats its ad principles: it says it keeps "conversations private from advertisers," doesn't sell customer data, labels ads clearly and keeps them separate from ChatGPT's answers, and that "advertising does not influence the answers ChatGPT provides." Those are OpenAI's own descriptions of how its ads work.
Why it matters
This is a money story. Reuters reports OpenAI is building out its ads business to boost revenue ahead of a potential IPO, and the company said in August that ads had reached a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate. OpenAI says more than 1.2 billion people use ChatGPT each week, and ads are a way to make money from people who don't pay for a subscription.
For users in the new countries, the change is simple: if you use ChatGPT for free or on Go, expect to start seeing labeled ads in ChatGPT. If you don't want them, the paid Plus plan and above stay ad-free. For marketers, ChatGPT is now a real ad channel across much of Latin America, Africa and South Asia. OpenAI says the next step is new ad formats, buying options and measurement tools.
Sources: OpenAI, Reuters (via Geo News), The Verge, CNBC.
