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OpenAI expands ChatGPT ads to 26 more countries, reaching 89 markets
IA en un minuto newsroom · Editor: Jon Elgezabal
In 30 seconds
OpenAI has extended ChatGPT advertising to 26 new countries and now offers it in 89, with 14 additions in Latin America. The ads are limited to the free version and to Go, while Plus, Pro and Enterprise stay without them. The company counts more than 100,000 advertisers and is preparing new formats and tools to measure results.
OpenAI announced on Wednesday, October 21, that it is bringing ChatGPT ads to 26 more countries, so advertising is now available in 89 countries. The move comes after its recent expansions to Europe and to Southeast Asia and Taiwan.
In Latin America, where ads were already running in Mexico and Brazil, 14 countries are being added, among them Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru. Ads are also reaching new markets in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East, such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ukraine, Serbia, Nigeria and South Africa. In those countries, companies can buy them through technology partners or on their own, from Ads Manager, OpenAI's advertising tool.
Ads only show up on the free plan and on Go, the low-cost plan; Plus, Pro and Enterprise subscriptions stay ad-free. OpenAI says the ads are clearly labeled and kept apart from the answers, that they have no influence on what ChatGPT replies, that conversations are not shared with advertisers and that it does not sell its customers' data.
According to the company, more than 100,000 advertisers have run campaigns on ChatGPT since it introduced advertising a little over eight months ago, and more than 1.2 billion people use the service every week. As reported by The News, OpenAI had already said in August that advertising was bringing in revenue at a pace of $1 billion a year.
The next phase, OpenAI says, will bring new formats, objectives, buying options and measurement tools, and the company is still looking for other ways for businesses to engage with users inside ChatGPT. It has not given dates for those changes.
Why it matters · analysis and opinion
With this expansion, advertising on ChatGPT stops being a trial in a few markets and becomes a channel that a business in Peru, Colombia or Chile can buy on its own. For OpenAI, ads are the way to pay for free access without touching subscriptions, and the pace of launches suggests that this revenue stream already weighs in its plans. The most delicate part is trust: the channel's value depends on the answers staying neutral, and for now that guarantee comes only from the company itself. What remains to be seen is whether advertisers will be able to check the return on what they spend: the measurement tools are still being developed, and whether the channel moves from curiosity to a fixed line in the budget depends on them.
Official source: OpenAI · Written with the help of AI: how we make the news
What does it mean for your business? · analysis and opinion
The businesses most affected are small businesses and freelancers in the 14 Latin American countries being added, including Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru. On the one hand, if your team uses ChatGPT with a free account or with Go, they will now see advertising next to the answers. On the other, a new advertising channel opens up: OpenAI says that in these markets companies can advertise through technology partners or on their own through Ads Manager, its self-service tool. This expansion does not mention Spain, so for a Spanish company it brings no direct change.
Our advice for anyone who works with ChatGPT every day is to check which plan each person on the team has and to keep in mind that Plus, Pro and Enterprise remain ad-free. Although OpenAI says advertising is kept apart and does not alter what the assistant replies, it is worth teaching staff to recognize sponsored content before treating it as a recommendation, especially when comparing suppliers or products.
For those who want to advertise, the prudent approach is to start with a small test and a fixed budget. OpenAI expects new formats, objectives, buying options and measurement tools in the next phase, so we think it makes sense to measure results carefully before increasing spending.
