OpenAI to Bring Ads to Free and Go-Tier ChatGPT in India

Introduction

OpenAI is taking another step toward making advertising a core part of ChatGPT’s business model. The company said it will start showing ads to users of ChatGPT Free and ChatGPT Go in India. The initial program is expected to include around 50 brands, with advertising agencies WPP and Omnicom helping support the rollout.

The move follows an update to OpenAI’s terms of service earlier this month, which indicated that ads could appear while people use the AI assistant. Launching the program in India puts the model in front of a particularly large population of free and lower-priced users, rather than limiting commercialization to premium subscribers.

Key points

• Free and Go users are in scope: The initial rollout covers ChatGPT Free and ChatGPT Go, while the source does not say that the higher-priced Plus and Pro tiers will receive the same treatment.
• About 50 brands will start: OpenAI is working with WPP and Omnicom to bring advertisers and agencies into the program.
• A campaign tool is coming: The company plans to launch an ad manager next month. Businesses will be able to create campaigns, subject to a minimum daily budget of ₹725, listed in the source as approximately $7.60.
• India is a major user market: OpenAI said in February that ChatGPT had more than 100 million weekly active users in India, many of them on free or Go plans.
• The program is expanding geographically: OpenAI began showing ads to users in the United States in February and expanded the effort to Europe earlier this month.

Why India matters

OpenAI has spent the past year building a stronger presence in India. It introduced ChatGPT Go, priced below $5, in August 2025 and ran a limited promotion that made the tier free for a full year. The company also promoted its products around major cricket events, including the Women’s Premier League and the Indian Premier League. More recently, it hired Uber’s India head to lead its expansion in the country.

That history makes India more than a new advertising market. It is also a test case for combining a low-cost subscription tier with advertising. For users who are unwilling or unable to pay for a premium plan, ads may give OpenAI a way to monetize access without raising the entry price. For the company, the model could add another source of revenue as usage and infrastructure costs grow.

What to watch

The central question is whether ads can generate commercial value without disrupting the conversational experience. Placement, relevance and disclosure will matter. OpenAI has described the format as reaching businesses at “relevant, high-context moments when decisions are beginning to take shape,” according to the statement cited by TechCrunch. That positioning may attract advertisers, but it also makes a clear separation between sponsored material and AI-generated answers especially important.

The strategy also comes amid a broader push to strengthen OpenAI’s financial base. The Wall Street Journal, as cited in the report, said the company recorded $6.7 billion in revenue in the second quarter ended June 2026, up from $5.7 billion in the previous quarter. With a potential IPO reportedly expected this year or next, the ability to build repeatable revenue streams will become increasingly significant. Results in India could show whether ChatGPT advertising can scale beyond an experiment while preserving user confidence.

Source: TechCrunch AI