OpenAI tells European users ads are coming to ChatGPT

OpenAI Ireland Limited emailed Free and Go plan users across the European Economic Area and Switzerland to say that advertising will begin appearing inside ChatGPT later this month. The message, sent under the subject line 'Updates to OpenAI's Privacy Policy,' set out how the ads will be selected, measured and controlled once they launch. Paid tiers, including Plus, Pro, Enterprise, Business and Education, remain ad-free.

Initial ad targeting relies only on the topic of the current conversation, general location and device type; personalised advertising drawn from chat history or memory requires an explicit opt-in, a distinction OpenAI says reflects GDPR's consent requirements. Advertisers will see aggregated view and click totals rather than any conversation content. The United Kingdom remains the only European market where ads are already live in ChatGPT; France, Germany and Ireland have no confirmed launch date.

Building the consent flow before the ads themselves suggests OpenAI expects European regulators to scrutinise the mechanism at least as closely as the ads it feeds through it.