ChatGPT is expanding its advertising program to 31 additional European markets, meaning more users could soon encounter advertisements while using the AI chatbot. OpenAI says the move follows months of advertising tests in other countries and is designed to help support free and lower cost access to ChatGPT. Ads may appear to eligible adult users on the Free and Go plans, while Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu accounts remain ad free.
For Free users, OpenAI is also offering an option to use ChatGPT without advertisements, although this comes with lower usage limits and reduced access to some features. One of the biggest concerns is whether advertisers could influence ChatGPT’s answers. OpenAI says they cannot, explaining that advertisements are kept separate from the system generating responses and advertisers cannot pay to change, rank or influence what ChatGPT tells users.
Privacy is another major issue surrounding the expansion. OpenAI says advertisers do not have access to users’ conversations, chat history, memories or personal information. Instead, advertisers receive aggregated information about advertising performance, such as views and clicks. Eligible users can also manage certain advertising settings, including personalization and advertising topics, although turning off personalization does not necessarily remove ads completely.
The arrival of advertisements could nevertheless change how people experience AI assistants, particularly because users often discuss products, services and personal decisions directly with ChatGPT. OpenAI says sponsored content will be clearly labeled and visually separated from AI generated answers, and seeing an advertisement does not mean ChatGPT recommends or endorses it. As advertising expands across Europe, users will likely be paying close attention to how OpenAI balances commercial interests, privacy and trust.
