The short version
OpenAI’s ad policies are at version 1.6, last updated on 10 September 2026. They set out where ads can appear, what ads can say, who can advertise, and how OpenAI reviews and enforces all three. Three rules shape most campaigns:
- Ads never appear near sensitive or regulated topics, including personal health, mental health and politics, and political advertising isn’t allowed.
- Some categories are disallowed, and others, such as financial, health and legal services, are allowed only under eligibility rules that vary by market.
- Since version 1.6, OpenAI can decline ads that conflict with its advertising principles, business interests or competitive position.
Categories the policy names
The “Disallowed ads” section of the policy covers the categories below. Not all of them are banned outright: for some, the policy sets out who can advertise and where. Read OpenAI’s current wording for your category before you plan a campaign.
| Category | What we can confirm | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Political content | Political advertising isn’t allowed in ChatGPT. | Help Center |
| Financial services | Allowed only for eligible categories and markets, clarified in version 1.3 (July 2026). | Ad policies |
| Health services | Allowed only for eligible categories and markets, clarified in version 1.3 (July 2026). Even then, ads stay away from personal health conversations. | Ad policies |
| Legal services | Permitted in the US since version 1.5 (August 2026). | Ad policies |
| Housing and jobs | OpenAI clarified its stance on housing and job listings in version 1.4 (August 2026). | Ad policies |
| Also named | Adult content; alcohol and tobacco; counterfeit goods; gambling; graphic sexual or violent content; recreational drugs; scams and fraud; sensitive topics or events; wellness claims. | Ad policies |
Version history
OpenAI keeps a changelog at the bottom of the policy. Seven versions in seven months is why anything written about ChatGPT Ads policy needs a date on it.
| Version | What changed | Date |
|---|---|---|
| v1.6 | Clarified OpenAI’s right to decline ads that conflict with its advertising principles, business interests or competitive position. | Sep 2026 |
| v1.5 | Legal services permitted in the US. | Aug 2026 |
| v1.4 | Clarified the policy on housing and job listings. | Aug 2026 |
| v1.3 | New section on advertiser policies; financial and health services sections updated to clarify eligible categories and markets. | Jul 2026 |
| v1.2 | New section on the standards OpenAI applies, how it applies them, and what happens when ads fall short. | May 2026 |
| v1.1 | Placement rules refined for some regulated-advice contexts: medical, legal and financial advice conversations are no longer blocked as whole categories. | Apr 2026 |
| v1.0 | First publication of the ad policies. | Mar 2026 |
Review and landing page rules
- Every ad is reviewed. Its status is in review, approved or rejected, and editing a rejected ad sends it back for review.
- The ad, its image and its landing page all have to meet the policy. Ads can be rejected for being misleading or inconsistent with the page they link to.
- Landing pages must load and must not block OpenAI’s crawlers, OAI-AdsBot and OAI-SearchBot.
Sources
- OpenAI ad policies, version 1.6, updated 10 September 2026
- Ads in ChatGPT, OpenAI Help Center
- Create ads for ChatGPT Ads, OpenAI Help Center
- Ads API reference, OpenAI developer documentation