OpenAI Expands ChatGPT Ads to 26 More Countries, Reaching 89 Markets Ahead of Potential IPO

OpenAI said Wednesday it expanded ChatGPT advertising to 26 additional countries, bringing the total to 89 markets as the AI company seeks to broaden revenue ahead of a possible initial public offering. More than 100,000 advertisers have run ads on the platform since OpenAI began testing them in the U.S. earlier this year, the company said. OpenAI disclosed in August that the ads business was generating about $1 billion in annualized revenue at the then-current run rate. The expansion adds 14 Latin American countries, including Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru, following earlier launches in Mexico and Brazil. Other new markets span Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, including Nigeria, South Africa, Serbia, Ukraine, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Advertisers in the new markets can buy ads through technical partners or use OpenAI's Ads Manager tool to set and run campaigns themselves. Ads appear only on ChatGPT's free and Go tiers; Plus, Pro and Enterprise subscriptions remain ad-free. OpenAI launched AI advertising tools in September and is testing corporate-sponsored AI agents with some U.S. advertisers.