OpenAI brings ChatGPT Ads to 31 markets across Europe
OpenAI will expand ChatGPT Ads to 31 European countries next week, marking the company’s largest advertising rollout so far. The launch includes Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and Austria, among other markets.
The move comes six months after OpenAI began testing ads in the United States. It has since expanded to eight additional markets, while tens of thousands of marketers have advertised through ChatGPT.
European access begins through partners
Advertisers in the new markets will initially gain access through the OpenAI Ads Solutions team, agency partners and technology partners. OpenAI said self-service access through Ads Manager will follow later this summer.
Ads will be shown only to people using ChatGPT’s Free and Go plans. Plus, Pro and Enterprise subscriptions will remain ad-free. OpenAI says advertising supports free and lower-cost access to ChatGPT while providing marketers with a way to reach users as they explore, compare and make decisions.
Privacy boundaries and advertising controls
OpenAI says its advertising approach is governed by principles intended to protect trust in ChatGPT. Conversations remain private from advertisers, and the company says it does not sell customer data. Ads are clearly labelled, separate from ChatGPT answers, and do not influence the answers generated by the service.
People can control ad personalisation, while paid ad-free plans remain available. This framework matters as ChatGPT becomes a broader consumer and business service: ChatGPT’s expanding role in OpenAI’s ecosystem reflects the platform’s expanding role across OpenAI’s ecosystem, while the European rollout introduces a commercial layer for eligible users.
Platform features move beyond click-based campaigns
OpenAI has been building the ads platform alongside its market expansion. It has added conversion optimisation beyond CPM and CPC bidding, allowing advertisers to optimise campaigns toward business goals.
The company also introduced geo-targeting and custom audiences. Measurement capabilities now extend beyond clicks through the OpenAI Pixel, Conversions API and third-party measurement integrations, which OpenAI says provide a more complete view of how campaigns contribute to business outcomes.
Business implication
For European businesses, ChatGPT Ads is a new route to engage people during research and evaluation rather than solely through keyword searches. Teams considering the channel should prepare their measurement setup, targeting approach and use of available partner access before self-service buying arrives later this summer.