OpenAI said on Wednesday, October 21, that it is expanding ads in ChatGPT to 26 more countries, bringing availability to 89. The rollout adds 14 Latin American countries, including Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru, along with markets such as Nigeria, South Africa, Serbia, Ukraine, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Pakistan, according to the company’s announcement.
Ads appear only on the Free and Go plans, while Plus, Pro and Enterprise remain ad-free, OpenAI said. More than 100,000 advertisers have run campaigns since ads launched just over eight months ago, and advertisers in the new markets can buy through technology partners or self-serve through Ads Manager. OpenAI said it keeps conversations private from advertisers, does not sell customer data and labels ads separately from answers, and that advertising does not influence ChatGPT’s responses.
OpenAI is pitching ChatGPT as a place to reach people mid-decision. More than 1.2 billion people use it each week to explore ideas and compare options, the company said, and an ad relevant to a conversation, such as one about meal plans for a first marathon, could introduce a service the user had not considered. L’Oréal, an early tester, said it wants to be the trusted answer “wherever beauty conversations take place.” In September, OpenAI also introduced AI tools for advertisers and began testing business-sponsored agents with select US advertisers, Reuters reported.
The push is part of OpenAI’s effort to build revenue ahead of a potential IPO, Reuters reported, noting the company said in August that its ads business had reached an annualized revenue run rate of $1 billion. OpenAI began showing ads in the US in February, The Verge reported. The company says new ad formats, buying options and measurement tools come next.
Sources
- OpenAI: ChatGPT Ads expands to 26 new countries as over 100,000 advertisers have used the platform (October 21, 2026)
- Reuters via StreetInsider: OpenAI expands ChatGPT ads to 26 more countries in bid to boost revenue (October 21, 2026)
- The Verge (Emma Roth): OpenAI is bringing ChatGPT ads to a lot more countries (October 21, 2026)