OpenAI will be rolling out ads to the EEA through a phased approach
OpenAI has emailed users in the European Economic Area (EEA) confirming ads are coming to ChatGPT “later this month”.
The notice said ads may start appearing for users on the free and go plans this month, but did not state a specific date. Plus, pro, enterprise or business and education plans will remain ad-free for users.
OpenAI rolled out ads in ChatGPT in the US in February 2026. A month later, the firm expanded this into Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In June, ads went live in the UK, followed by Japan, South Korea, Brazil and Mexico in August.
And now, the tech firm has informed users about a change to its EU privacy policy that will allow it to show them ads.
However, the launch of ads will be a phased approach in the EEA and Switzerland.
Initially, ads will not be personalised and instead will be based on the current topic of the ongoing ChatGPT conversation; location; device type; and the time of day and language.
Past chats and stored memories will not be used either at launch.
This is because under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules, OpenAI requires user consent in order to provide personalised ads.
Therefore, the first phase, OpenAI said, falls under GDPR’s ‘legitimate interest’ rules for general advertising.
Personalisation will be introduced in the second phase. OpenAI confirmed in its notice that it will first ask users to choose whether they want to see more “relevant, personalised ads”.
For those that opt in, the company will base personalisation on the current chat thread; the user’s own interactions with ads such as whether they hid or clicked it; and past chats and memories.
Users can amend their settings for receiving ads under the ‘settings> ad controls’ tab, which is where they can also delete any data. OpenAI said it could take up to 30 days for any data on its servers to be removed.
Where the ads will appear
Ads will be placed below a response in ChatGPT, with the label ‘sponsored’ and visually distinct from other response.
OpenAI has said the ads will not influence the chatbot’s answers and advertisers will only see aggregate metrics such as views or clicks.
Ads will not appear near sensitive or regulated topics such as personal health, mental health or politics. Political and gambling advertising is banned on the platform.
No ads will also be served to any accounts OpenAI believes belong to a minor, which it will determine through predictive analytics such as account age, times of use and general topics discussed.
Since launching its advertising arm this year, OpenAI has also been refining and improving this part of the business. Earlier this month, the company announced an upgrade of its ad suite to include a new carousel for ChatGPT, which followed the introduction of cost-per-click bidding and expanded measurement tools.
