OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Ads Across 31 European Markets in Largest Expansion to Date

OpenAI has expanded its ChatGPT Ads program to 31 European countries including Germany, France, Spain, and Italy, marking the platform's largest ad rollout since the pilot launched in the US in February. The expansion brings ChatGPT Ads to 40 markets globally, with ads shown only to Free and Go tier users while paid subscribers remain ad-free.

Key Takeaways

OpenAI has expanded its ChatGPT Ads program to 31 European countries including Germany, France, Spain, and Italy, marking the platform's largest ad rollout since the pilot launched in the US in February.
The expansion brings ChatGPT Ads to 40 markets globally, with ads shown only to Free and Go tier users while paid subscribers remain ad-free.

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OpenAI has made its largest move yet in building an advertising business, launching ChatGPT Ads across 31 European markets on August 24. The expansion covers Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, and 21 other European countries, bringing the total number of markets where ChatGPT displays ads to 40 globally.

The rollout extends an advertising pilot that began in the United States in February 2026. Over the past six months, OpenAI has expanded to nine additional markets and built out the ads platform with conversion optimization, geo-targeting, and custom audiences. The company says tens of thousands of marketers have now advertised on ChatGPT.

Ads are shown exclusively to users on ChatGPT's Free and Go tiers. Plus, Pro, and Enterprise subscriptions remain completely ad-free. OpenAI emphasized that conversations remain private from advertisers, customer data is never sold, and advertising does not influence ChatGPT's answers. Users can control ad personalization settings.

The expansion comes as OpenAI seeks to diversify revenue beyond subscriptions. The company reportedly generates significant income from its API business, and the ads platform represents a new monetization layer targeting consumers in the free tier.

Initially, advertisers can access ChatGPT Ads through OpenAI's Ads Solutions team, agency partners, and technology partners, with self-service access through Ads Manager planned for later this summer.