OpenAI introduced ads to ChatGPT last month, exclusively for the United States. The company announced the changes in a blog post titled ‘Testing ads in ChatGPT‘, affecting users using the free tier and the $8-a-month ChatGPT Go. The Go tier was originally launched exclusively to Indian users last year, before being rolled out globally in January 2026.

Introducing advertisements into a previously ad-free space is always going to stir up some kind of backlash, especially since they’re present on a paid tier. People digging around have since discovered references to ads in privacy polices outside of the U.S. (such as the one in this Reddit post), but OpenAI has now come out to say that it isn’t rolling out ads globally, for now.

ChatGPT ads ‘not yet’ leaving the U.S.

Publication BleepingComputer says OpenAI has disclosed its plans regarding ads on ChatGPT, confirming that it is ‘not yet’ rolling them out outside of the United States. However, it should be noted that in OpenAI’s official FAQs page, the company notes that this “may change as testing expands”. There’s no current public timeline on when that may begin to happen.

We’re beginning this test in the US on February 9, 2026. We’re taking a deliberate, phased approach and will expand gradually as we learn from real-world use and feedback. If you’re eligible for the test, you’ll see clear in-product information.

Source: OpenAI

Users have expressed their concern about the introduction of advertisements to ChatGPT, especially when it comes to ads infiltrating AI-generated responses. OpenAI says “Ads do not influence ChatGPT’s answers” – they “run on separate systems” and advertisers have no way to shape this; ads themselves are clearly labeled as such. Users can choose to toggle on/off personalized ads, which react to your current and past conversations as a source of what ads you may be interested in seeing.

Ads may appear below the end of a response from ChatGPT, not within the response itself. They only appear for logged-in users, and do not appear in temporary chats, in the ChatGPT Atlas browser, or after you generate an image. According to BleepingComputer, OpenAI “had nothing to offer” when questioned on when a global rollout is planned.

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Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.