OpenAI is expanding its ChatGPT advertising programme to Pakistan and 25 other countries as the artificial intelligence company seeks to increase revenue from its widely used chatbot. The expansion broadens the reach of its advertising business and introduces more international markets to a platform that allows businesses to advertise within ChatGPT.
The move comes as OpenAI develops additional revenue streams alongside its subscription services and enterprise offerings. Advertising provides the company with another way to monetise ChatGPT while maintaining free and lower-cost access options for users.
In an announcement on Wednesday, October 21, OpenAI said ChatGPT advertisements would become available in 26 additional countries, increasing the total number of markets to 89. The newly added markets span Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Pakistan is among the Asian markets included in the expansion, alongside Bangladesh and Cambodia. The rollout also includes countries such as Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Nigeria, South Africa, Serbia and Ukraine.
OpenAI said advertisers in the new markets could access the platform through technology partners or use its self-service advertising system, Ads Manager. This provides businesses with additional routes to launch campaigns on ChatGPT, depending on the available access options in their markets.
The expansion follows significant growth in OpenAI’s advertising business. On August 31, the company reported that ChatGPT Ads had reached an annualised revenue run rate of $1 billion. This figure represents a projection of revenue over a year based on the current rate, rather than the total advertising revenue earned during the year.
OpenAI also reported that more than 100,000 advertisers had run campaigns on ChatGPT since the advertising programme launched. The company said the platform serves more than 1.2 billion weekly users, providing advertisers with access to a large audience.
According to Reuters, the latest expansion is part of OpenAI’s efforts to strengthen revenue ahead of a potential initial public offering (IPO). An IPO would involve offering shares in the company to public investors, although the advertising expansion itself does not confirm that a listing will take place.
OpenAI said advertisements will appear on ChatGPT’s Free and Go subscription plans. Users subscribed to Plus, Pro and Enterprise plans will remain on ad-free versions of the service.
The company has stated that advertisements will be clearly labelled and displayed separately from ChatGPT’s answers. It also says advertisers cannot influence the responses generated by the chatbot and that users’ private conversations are not sold to advertisers. These policies are intended to distinguish advertising placements from the information provided by ChatGPT.
Advertising is one component of OpenAI’s business model, which also includes consumer subscriptions, enterprise products and usage-based application programming interface (API) services. The company has said advertising can help support free and lower-cost access to its AI products while funding continued investment in the service.
OpenAI said it plans to expand its advertising platform further by developing additional advertising formats, campaign objectives, purchasing options and measurement capabilities. The company is also exploring ways for businesses to interact with consumers within ChatGPT.
The expansion into Pakistan and 25 other countries marks another stage in the international growth of ChatGPT’s advertising business. With advertising available in 89 markets, OpenAI is widening its commercial reach while continuing to offer subscription-based and advertising-supported access to its chatbot.
