6 days ago
OpenAI Expands ChatGPT Ads to Free Users in India
OpenAI is starting to show advertisements inside ChatGPT in India.
The ads are for logged-in adults using the Free or Go plans.
The Go plan costs Rs 399 each month in India.
People using Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, or Education plans will not see ads.
An advertisement may appear below an answer when it matches a product or service.
It will be marked as sponsored and kept separate from ChatGPT’s answer.
OpenAI says the ad will not change what ChatGPT says.
The company also says advertisers cannot see users’ conversations or personal information.
Ads will not appear next to topics such as health, mental health, or politics.
Users can control some advertising-related personalization by changing memory or advertising-data settings.
OpenAI began rolling out clearly labelled ChatGPT ads to logged-in adults using the Free and Go plans in India.
Ads will appear below responses when a relevant sponsored product or service exists and will be visually separate from answers.
Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education subscribers will continue receiving an ad-free ChatGPT service.
OpenAI says advertisers cannot access chats, chat history, memories, personal details, identities, or precise locations, and will receive aggregate performance data instead.
More than 50 brands were expected to participate, while self-serve Ads Manager access is planned for September 4 with daily budgets starting at Rs 725.
- Who
- OpenAI and logged-in ChatGPT users aged 18 and older on the Free and Go plans.
- What
- OpenAI is rolling out ChatGPT Ads, placing sponsored content below some chatbot responses.
- Where
- Inside ChatGPT for eligible users in India.
- When
- The India rollout was announced and began on Thursday, August 27; self-serve Ads Manager access is planned for September 4.
- Why
- OpenAI says the program will diversify revenue and support expansion of its services.
OpenAI’s Advertising Safeguards
Privacy and Trust Concerns
Influence on answers
OpenAI’s Advertising Safeguards
OpenAI says ads are rendered after ChatGPT generates its response and will not influence, bias, or alter the answer.
Privacy and Trust Concerns
The presence of sponsored content within chatbot conversations could still raise concerns about whether users will trust ChatGPT’s answers.
Use of personal information
OpenAI’s Advertising Safeguards
OpenAI says advertisers cannot access users’ chats, chat history, memories, personal details, identities, or precise locations, and receive only aggregate campaign-performance data.
Privacy and Trust Concerns
One account says ads may use ChatGPT’s internal memory features to improve relevance to users’ hobbies or preferences, raising questions about how personal context is used even when it is not shared directly with advertisers.
User control and sensitive topics
OpenAI’s Advertising Safeguards
OpenAI says ads are restricted around sensitive or regulated subjects and users can disable memory or clear personal advertising data through settings.
Privacy and Trust Concerns
Users may need to change settings themselves to limit personalization, while the rollout adds commercial content to interactions that previously had no ads for Free and Go users.
Key facts
- Eligible users
- Logged-in adults using the Free or Go tiers
- Go plan price
- Rs 399 per month in India
- Ad-free plans
- Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Education
- Ad placement
- Below a ChatGPT response when a relevant sponsored product or service exists
- Sensitive topics
- Ads will not appear alongside topics including health, mental health, or politics
- Expected launch brands
- More than 50 brands were expected to show ads during the rollout week
- Advertiser access
- Businesses can sign up for daily budgets starting at Rs 725, with self-serve Ads Manager access planned from September 4
Quotes
Dave Dugan
OpenAI’s Vice President and Head of Global Ads Solutions
“Our goal is to preserve what makes ChatGPT valuable: independent answers, conversations that stay private from advertisers, and meaningful user control.”
financialexpress.com
“They will always be clearly labelled as sponsored and visually separate from ChatGPT's answer, and not influence the answers ChatGPT provides.”
m.rediff.com
Sources
ChatGPT ads now in India — What it means for your privacy
OpenAI Expands ChatGPT Ads To India, Free And Go Users To See Sponsored Content From 50+ Brands
ChatGPT To Show Ads To Free, Go Users In India
Will ChatGPT Use Your Chats For Ads? OpenAI Explains As Ads Roll Out In India
ChatGPT Ads launches in India: How they work, what OpenAI says about user privacy
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