It appears the advertising industry is impossible to avoid. On Thursday, OpenAI announced it will begin displaying ads on its ChatGPT Free and Go subscription tiers in India. This follows the company’s earlier decision this month to update its terms of service, signaling that users would see ads while interacting with the AI assistant. Back in February, OpenAI revealed it has over 100 million weekly active ChatGPT users in India, with a significant portion relying on the free or more affordable Go plans.

The company stated on Wednesday that it will kick things off by showcasing ads from 50 brands, and it has teamed up with advertising agencies WPP and Omnicom for the initiative. Additionally, OpenAI is set to introduce an ad manager next month, which will allow marketers to design campaigns for their businesses—provided those campaigns meet a daily minimum budget of ₹725 ($7.60). “With ChatGPT Ads, businesses of every size can introduce themselves at relevant, high-context moments when decisions are beginning to take shape,” said Dave Dugan, head of global ads solutions at OpenAI, in a statement.

OpenAI has invested considerable effort in building its user base in India, launching a sub-$5 plan for ChatGPT Go in August 2025 and even running a limited promotion that made that tier free for an entire year. The company also promoted its products heavily during major sports events, such as the Women’s Premier League (WPL) and the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournaments. More recently, it brought on Uber’s India head to spearhead its expansion efforts in the country.

The AI lab first rolled out ads to users in the U.S. back in February and extended the program to Europe earlier this month. With a potential IPO on the horizon—expected sometime this year or next—OpenAI has been working to strengthen and diversify its revenue streams. According to The Wall Street Journal, the lab generated $6.7 billion in revenue during the second quarter ending June 2026, up from $5.7 billion in the prior quarter. Last November, The Information reported that OpenAI was targeting 220 million paying subscribers by 2030, with 35 million users already paying for its Plus and Pro plans at that time.