ChatGPT Ads has changed almost every month since OpenAI announced it in January 2026. This page lists each change in date order, with a link to OpenAI’s own announcement or documentation. It covers new markets, product features, buying options and ad policy versions.
The short version
ChatGPT Ads went from a US test in February 2026 to more than 60 countries by late September. Self-serve buying through Ads Manager opened in May. The biggest changes for advertisers so far:
- Ads Manager, a self-serve platform, with CPC bidding and conversion measurement, from 5 May 2026.
- Self-serve buying across Europe, India, the Middle East and North Africa from 31 August 2026.
- AI creative tools, Sponsored Agents in testing, and HubSpot and Shopify integrations, from 16 September 2026.
- Seven more markets in Southeast Asia and Taiwan from 23 September 2026.
- A visual ad format for image generation, Negative Phrases and more measurement partners, announced on 5 October 2026.
- OpenAI’s ad policy reached version 1.6 on 10 September 2026.
ChatGPT Ads news, month by month
Each month lists the OpenAI pages it comes from. Dates are the dates OpenAI published or updated the announcement.
January 2026
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| 16 Jan | OpenAI announces plans to test ads in the US for the Free and Go plans, alongside the US launch of Go at $8 a month. Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise stay ad-free. It publishes five ad principles, including answer independence and conversation privacy. |
Source: Our approach to advertising, OpenAI.
February 2026
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| 9 Feb | Ad testing begins in the US for logged-in adults on the Free and Go plans. |
Source: Testing ads in ChatGPT, OpenAI.
March 2026
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| March | OpenAI publishes its ad policies, version 1.0. |
| 26 Mar | OpenAI reports no impact on consumer trust metrics in the pilot, low ad dismissal rates and improving relevance. It plans pilots in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. |
Sources: Ad policies, Testing ads in ChatGPT, OpenAI.
April 2026
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| April | Ad policy 1.1: medical, legal and financial advice conversations are no longer blocked as whole categories. |
Source: Ad policies, OpenAI.
May 2026
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| 5 May | A beta self-serve Ads Manager opens, with cost-per-click bidding and new measurement tools. Advertisers can also buy through agency partners Dentsu, Omnicom, Publicis and WPP, and technology partners. |
| 7 May | OpenAI plans pilots in the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil, Japan and South Korea. |
| May | Ad policy 1.2 adds a section on the standards OpenAI applies and how it enforces them. |
Sources: New ways to buy ChatGPT ads, Testing ads in ChatGPT, Ad policies, OpenAI.
July 2026
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| July | Ad policy 1.3 adds advertiser policies and clarifies financial and health services by category and market. |
Source: Ad policies, OpenAI.
August 2026
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| August | Ad policy 1.4 clarifies housing and job listings. Version 1.5 permits legal services in the US. |
| 11 Aug | Ads launch in the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil, Japan and South Korea. |
| 18 Aug | OpenAI announces ads in 31 European markets, at first through its Ads Solutions team and partners. |
| 31 Aug | Self-serve Ads Manager opens in the 31 European markets, India, the Middle East and North Africa. OpenAI reports a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate from ads. |
Sources: Ad policies, Testing ads in ChatGPT, ChatGPT Ads expands across Europe, A milestone in expanding access to AI, OpenAI.
September 2026
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| 10 Sep | Ad policy 1.6 clarifies OpenAI’s right to decline ads that conflict with its principles, business interests or competitive position. |
| 16 Sep | OpenAI starts testing Sponsored Agents in the US, adds AI creative tools to Ads Manager and lets people create ads with prompts in ChatGPT Work. HubSpot and Shopify become its first CRM and ecommerce partners. |
| 23 Sep | Ads expand to Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan. OpenAI names dentsu, Havas Media, Omnicom Media, Publicis Groupe and WPP as agency partners. |
Sources: Ad policies, Reimagining advertising with AI, ChatGPT Ads expands to Southeast Asia and Taiwan, OpenAI.
October 2026
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| 5 Oct | OpenAI announces a visual ad format, to be tested during image generation for Free and Go users in the US later in October. It adds measurement partners for conversion data, attribution and incrementality, makes Negative Phrases available to qualifying advertisers, and starts brand suitability pilots with DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science. It says ChatGPT reaches 1.2 billion people each week. |
Sources: Building advertising for the way people use AI, OpenAI, and More ways to measure ChatGPT Ads, OpenAI Ads Blog.
Markets, wave by wave
ChatGPT Ads reached new countries in waves. In most, a pilot or partner-only phase came before self-serve buying.
| Wave | Markets | How advertisers could buy |
|---|---|---|
| February 2026 | United States | Directly with OpenAI, then partners and Ads Manager from May |
| From late March 2026 | Canada, Australia and New Zealand | Pilots first |
| August 2026 | United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil, Japan and South Korea | Launched on 11 August |
| Late August 2026 | 31 European markets | Ads Solutions team and partners first, self-serve from 31 August |
| 31 August 2026 | India, the Middle East and North Africa | Self-serve through Ads Manager |
| 23 September 2026 | Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan | Ads Solutions team, partners and self-serve for eligible businesses |
Our availability tracker lists every country with its date and the minimum budget in its currency.
What Ads Manager offers today
OpenAI’s Help Center describes what the platform does now, though not always when each feature arrived. As of this page, Ads Manager includes these capabilities.
| Area | What’s available |
|---|---|
| Buying | Views, Clicks and Conversion optimization objectives, with click or impression billing for conversions |
| Bidding | Fixed bids and Maximize results |
| Building | Guided setup, bulk upload, and the Ads Manager plugin in ChatGPT or Codex |
| Targeting | Locations, five platforms, custom audiences and context hints |
| Measurement | The Pixel, the Conversions API, automatic advanced matching, event quality, partner integrations and a Google Analytics 4 connection in beta |
| Reporting | Flexible click and view windows, view-through conversions, charts and CSV exports |
| Formats | Chat cards and product ads; Sponsored Agents in a limited alpha; a visual format announced for image generation |
Our Ads Manager guide explains each of these in detail.
How the ways to buy changed
The routes into ChatGPT Ads widened in four steps.
| When | New route |
|---|---|
| February 2026 | A small group of advertisers working directly with OpenAI |
| 5 May 2026 | Agency and technology partners, and the self-serve Ads Manager beta |
| August 2026 | OpenAI’s Ads Solutions team for new markets, ahead of self-serve |
| 16 September 2026 | Creating ads with prompts in ChatGPT Work, and HubSpot and Shopify integrations |
Our guide to ways to buy ChatGPT ads compares the routes as they stand now.
What the changes mean for advertisers
This is our reading of the timeline as a whole.
| Trend | What it means |
|---|---|
| Markets open in waves | Partners and OpenAI’s team usually come first, then self-serve. Check the availability tracker before you plan |
| The policy moves every month or two | A category that’s restricted today may open later, and the reverse |
| Integrations are growing | HubSpot and Shopify connect ChatGPT Ads to tools businesses already use, and measurement partners now cover attribution and incrementality |
The practical lesson is to check facts on the day you rely on them. A guide written in spring may describe a pilot that no longer exists, with prices and minimums that no longer apply. Our availability tracker lists every country, and the policy tracker has the full version history.
Where to follow ChatGPT Ads news
OpenAI announces most changes in three places. Its newsroom carries launches and new markets. The Help Center’s ChatGPT Ads articles show product changes, each with an updated date. The developer docs cover API changes.
Each change here links to its source. If you spot one that’s missing, tell us.
Questions
When did ChatGPT start showing ads?
Testing began in the US on 9 February 2026, for logged-in adults on the Free and Go plans. OpenAI announced the plan on 16 January 2026, with five principles for how ads would work. Ads have since launched in more than 60 countries.
When did Ads Manager launch?
OpenAI opened a beta self-serve Ads Manager on 5 May 2026, alongside cost-per-click bidding and new measurement tools. Self-serve buying reached Europe, India, the Middle East and North Africa on 31 August 2026. It’s still described as a beta.
How many countries have ChatGPT Ads?
OpenAI says ChatGPT Ads is available in more than 60 countries, after the September 2026 expansion to Southeast Asia and Taiwan. Its Ads Manager availability list names 63 countries where businesses can buy themselves. Your legal entity must be based in one of them.
What’s the latest ad policy version?
Version 1.6, updated on 10 September 2026. It clarified OpenAI’s right to decline ads that conflict with its advertising principles, business interests or competitive position. Our policy tracker summarizes every version since March 2026, with the categories allowed in each market.
What are Sponsored Agents?
A format OpenAI began testing in the US on 16 September 2026. After clicking an ad, a person can start a labeled conversation with a business’s AI representative. It’s a limited alpha with selected advertisers, and OpenAI isn’t taking early access requests.
Is ChatGPT Ads still in beta?
Yes. OpenAI’s help pages describe ChatGPT Ads as in beta and in the early stages of scaling. A focused pilot ran from February through April. Ads Manager is also called a beta. OpenAI says delivery and spend can fluctuate during the beta, and that more features will follow.
Sources
- Our approach to advertising, Testing ads in ChatGPT and New ways to buy ChatGPT ads, OpenAI
- ChatGPT Ads expands across Europe and A milestone in expanding access to AI, OpenAI
- Reimagining advertising with AI and ChatGPT Ads expands to Southeast Asia and Taiwan, OpenAI
- Ad policies, OpenAI, version 1.6, updated 10 September 2026
- Sponsored Agents in ChatGPT Ads, Ads Manager Availability, Ads Manager Beta Overview and Frequently asked questions, OpenAI Help Center
- Measure Results and Conversion-optimized Campaigns, OpenAI Help Center
- Building advertising for the way people use AI, OpenAI, 5 October 2026
- More ways to measure ChatGPT Ads, OpenAI Ads Blog, 5 October 2026
- Connect Google Analytics 4 to OpenAI Ads Manager, OpenAI Help Center