OpenAI is expanding ChatGPT Ads to seven more markets in Asia as it continues to build its advertising business around the chatbot.
The company announced on September 23 that ChatGPT Ads are now rolling out in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan. With the latest expansion, ChatGPT Ads are now available in more than 60 countries and markets.
The move gives businesses in Southeast Asia and Taiwan a new way to reach people while they use ChatGPT. Companies can advertise to users who are researching products, comparing services or looking for information before making a purchase.
OpenAI is also making it easier for smaller businesses to buy ads. Advertisers in the new markets can work with OpenAI’s advertising team and agency partners or use the company’s self-service Ads Manager.
ChatGPT Ads Expand to Seven More Asian Markets
OpenAI has expanded ChatGPT Ads to seven additional markets across Southeast Asia and Taiwan as it continues to grow its global advertising business. The latest rollout brings ChatGPT Ads to:
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
- the Philippines
- Singapore
- Thailand
- Vietnam
- Taiwan
The expansion follows earlier launches in other parts of the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and India.
OpenAI said businesses in the newly added markets can buy advertising through its Ads Solutions team, agency partners and technology partners. They can also use Ads Manager to create and manage campaigns themselves.
The company is working with major advertising groups including dentsu, Havas Media, Omnicom Media, Publicis Groupe and WPP. OpenAI said the self-service option is meant to give more businesses access to ChatGPT’s advertising platform instead of limiting it to large companies with major advertising budgets.
ChatGPT Ads Are Available on Free and Go Plans
ChatGPT Ads are currently linked to OpenAI’s free and lower-cost subscription plans. Users on the Free and Go plans can see advertisements while using ChatGPT. Paid users on ChatGPT Plus and Pro, along with Enterprise customers, continue to have an ad-free experience.
OpenAI has said that advertisements are clearly marked and kept separate from ChatGPT’s answers. The company also says advertisers cannot pay to influence the answers generated by ChatGPT. Ads are intended to appear separately from the chatbot’s response rather than changing what the AI says to the user.
This approach allows OpenAI to make money from people who use ChatGPT without paying for a subscription. For the company, advertising is becoming another source of revenue alongside paid ChatGPT plans, business products and access to its AI models through the API.
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OpenAI Says ChatGPT Ads Hit $1 Billion Annualised Revenue Run Rate
The latest international expansion comes soon after OpenAI reported strong growth in its advertising business. On August 31, the company said ChatGPT Ads had reached a $1 billion annualised revenue run rate in less than 200 days after launch.
OpenAI also said that tens of thousands of advertisers were using the platform. An annualised revenue run rate is not the same as revenue already earned over a full year. It is a measure based on the current pace of revenue and shows what the business could generate over 12 months if that pace continued.
The numbers nevertheless show how quickly OpenAI is trying to build advertising into ChatGPT. The company has said advertising can help support access to AI for users who do not want to pay for a subscription.
ChatGPT Ads Gain New Tools for Businesses and AI Agents
OpenAI is also testing new ways for businesses to interact with ChatGPT users. Earlier this month, the company announced Sponsored Agents, which allow users to start a conversation with a business-sponsored AI agent after interacting with an advertisement.
The company has also introduced new tools for creating advertisements and announced integrations with platforms such as HubSpot and Shopify. These features point to a different type of advertising model from traditional online ads.
Instead of simply showing a banner or a sponsored link, ChatGPT can connect users with a business through a conversation. A person researching a product, for example, could potentially move from an advertisement into an interaction with a company’s AI agent.
OpenAI is still developing this approach, and the company is using its expanding advertising network to test how businesses and users respond to these features.
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Southeast Asia Becomes a New Growth Market for ChatGPT Ads
The expansion gives OpenAI access to millions of potential users across Southeast Asia. The region includes some of the world’s fastest-growing digital markets, with large online populations and strong use of mobile services. For advertisers, this creates an opportunity to reach consumers while they are actively looking for information.
OpenAI said it has already seen interest from advertisers in the region. The company also said its waitlist showed demand from businesses that wanted access to ChatGPT’s advertising platform. The self-service Ads Manager could be particularly important for smaller companies.
These businesses may not have the budget or resources to work directly with large advertising agencies. OpenAI said advertisers can use the platform to create and manage campaigns, giving businesses more direct control over their advertising activity.
Advertising Becomes a Bigger Part of OpenAI’s ChatGPT Business
The latest expansion is part of OpenAI’s wider effort to turn ChatGPT into a major commercial platform. ChatGPT started mainly as an AI chatbot, but OpenAI has steadily added products and services around it. The company now makes money through individual subscriptions, business plans, API access and advertising.
Advertising could become an important part of that business because ChatGPT has a large global user base. The company is also trying to make ads fit into the way people use conversational AI. Users often come to ChatGPT with a question, a product search or a request to compare different options. That gives advertisers a chance to reach people at a point when they may already be considering a purchase.
However, the expansion also means OpenAI will need to maintain a clear separation between advertising and ChatGPT’s answers. The company has repeatedly said that ads will not influence the chatbot’s responses.
For now, OpenAI is continuing to expand its advertising network while adding new tools for advertisers and businesses. With ChatGPT Ads now available in more than 60 markets, the company has moved from testing advertising in a limited number of countries to building a global advertising business.
The expansion into Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan adds another major region to that network and gives OpenAI more opportunities to grow its advertising revenue in the months ahead.
