OpenAI Reportedly Denies Global ChatGPT Ads Rollout Despite Online Speculation

It’s been over a month since OpenAI has been rolling out ads for US users enrolled in the Go tier and Free plan. Soon after OpenAI announced its ad rollout plan, Anthropic took a jab at the company with its Super Bowl ad, which OpenAI’s CEO later dismissed, saying the campaign was “dishonest.”

OpenAI says ChatGPT ads aren’t expanding globally despite online rumors

Now, some users on Reddit have shown concerns after a Redditor, citing OpenAI’s privacy policy, claimed that the company is thinking of expanding ads to India, too. After Bleeping Computer spotted the post, it reached out to OpenAI for clarification. In response, OpenAI told the news outlet that ChatGPT ads are not expanding globally yet.

The company has further confirmed that its ad testing inside ChatGPT is only rolling out in the U.S. and doesn’t have anything to share with the news outlet about global expansion. For those unaware, ChatGPT ads are personalized around user queries. This very fact had users worried that it might influence their buying decisions. However, OpenAI maintains that ads do not affect how the AI generates responses.

In an official ChatGPT ads documentation, spotted by folks at BleepingComputer, the company notes:

Ads do not influence ChatGPT’s answers. Ads run on separate systems from our chat model, and advertisers have no ability to shape, rank, or alter ChatGPT’s responses. Ads are separate and clearly labeled. Ads are paid placements, and seeing an ad doesn’t mean OpenAI endorses or recommends the advertiser or its products or services.

Perplexity reportedly pulls back on ads

In view of users’ disinterest in ads, Perplexity has reportedly started phasing out ads introduced in 2024. The company is reportedly also not pursuing new ad deals for now. Internally, executives have acknowledged that advertising can make users “doubt everything,” something it can’t afford at a time when the AI race is intensifying more than ever.