OpenAI seems to be preparing to expand ChatGPT ads to India with some users in the country getting an email about changes to the service’s privacy policy. The update mentions ads on ChatGPT and explains which plans may show ads, how users can control their experience and how advertiser access to user data will work.
This comes as OpenAI is expanding its advertising pilot to more markets. The company started testing ads in the US earlier this year and have launched ChatGPT Ads in the UK, Mexico, Brazil, Japan and South Korea. OpenAI says it plans to expand the programme to additional markets this year.
As per the email received by users in India, advertisements may appear on ChatGPT’s Free and Go plans. OpenAI’s paid Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Education plans are not eligible for ads. The company has previously said the advertising model is intended to help support wider access to ChatGPT while keeping the free and lower-cost tiers available. The company says advertisements will be clearly labelled as sponsored content and displayed separately from ChatGPT’s answers.
The company also maintained that advertisers will not be able to influence ChatGPT’s responses. OpenAI says its advertising and chat systems are separate, meaning advertisers cannot alter, rank or otherwise control the answers generated by the model.
As per the reports, privacy is said to be one of the biggest concerns as advertising reaches more users. The company says advertisers do not get the access to users’ chats, chat history, memories or personal information. Instead, advertisers are provided with aggregated information about how their campaigns perform.
However, OpenAI says that ads can be personalised using the information that remains within ChatGPT, including interactions with ads and relevant context from conversations. Users are also given controls to manage ad personalisation and clear information used for advertising.
The ChatGPT maker has not publicly confirmed the India launch date of these ads. The email received by Indian users suggest that the company is preparing for a wider rollout, but it remains unclear when ads will actually start appearing.