OpenAI will show ads in ChatGPT Free and Go in India

In short: OpenAI says it will start showing ads to people using ChatGPT on the Free and Go plans in India.

What happened

OpenAI said it will begin displaying ads inside ChatGPT for users in India who are on the Free plan and the lower-priced Go plan. This follows a recent change to its terms of service that indicated ads could appear while people use the AI assistant.

OpenAI said it will start with ads from 50 brands. It also said it is working with ad agencies WPP and Omnicom on the rollout.

The company plans to launch an “ad manager” next month. This is a self-serve tool that lets marketers set up and run ads, similar to buying ads on other big apps. OpenAI said campaigns will require a minimum daily budget of ₹725, which is about $7.60.

OpenAI has previously said India has more than 100 million weekly active ChatGPT users. TechCrunch reported that many of those users are on the Free plan or the Go plan.

Why it matters

For many people in India, this means ChatGPT could start to feel more like a free news site or a free mobile game, where the service is paid for partly by advertising. It also suggests OpenAI is looking for more ways to make money beyond subscriptions, especially in a country where a large share of users are not on higher-priced plans.

Source: TechCrunch AI