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OpenAI says ads coming to ChatGPT in Europe next week
AFP, Paris
Published: 20 Aug 2026, 04:30 PM
OpenAI’s ChatGPT free and low-cost AI agent users in Europe will start seeing ads from August 24 as the company expands its revenue strategy.
European users of ChatGPT's free and low-cost artificial
intelligence agents will start seeing ads from August 24, as its builder OpenAI
expands a plan for extracting more revenue from its models.
After initially rolling out advertising in the United States
in February, OpenAI will now give advertisers access to users in 31 countries
across Europe, the company said late Tuesday.
The ChatGPT maker is burning through cash even as it girds
for an initial public offering that could value it at nearly $1 trillion,
seeking funds to compete with US rival Anthropic as well as lower-cost Chinese
models.
"This expansion gives marketers across Europe a new way
to reach people while they are actively exploring, comparing, and making
decisions," OpenAI said.
Ads will be added to the free service and to Go subscribers
in Europe, who pay eight euros ($9.30) a month.
Only a small percentage of its nearly one billion users pay
for its premium subscription services, which will remain ad-free.
Critics say OpenAI is running the risk that users will begin
distrusting ChatGPT's content if they feel responses are being influenced by
advertisers more interested in promoting their products or services.
Anthropic meanwhile has pushed to make its pledge to remain
ad-free a key marketing tool.
In its statement, OpenAI said conversations would be private
from advertisers and no customer data would be sold.
It added that "Ads in ChatGPT are always clearly
labelled and separate from ChatGPT's answers, and advertising does not
influence the answers ChatGPT provides."
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