601 OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Ads in India, introducing sponsored placements for logged-in adults on Free and Go plans while keeping paid tiers ad-free. The timing matters because ChatGPT is becoming a commercial discovery surface, giving marketers access to users while they compare options and make decisions. More than 50 brands are expected to go live in the first week. Self-serve ChatGPT Ads Manager access opens in India on September 4, with daily campaign budgets starting at ₹725, lowering the entry barrier for smaller advertisers as well as large brands. Unlike conventional keyword advertising, ChatGPT Ads can use the context and intent of the current conversation to judge relevance. When ad personalisation is enabled, the system may also use select signals from a user’s broader ChatGPT experience. Ads appear below responses and are labelled as sponsored, while advertisers receive aggregate campaign data rather than access to individual conversations. “With ChatGPT Ads, businesses of every size can introduce themselves at relevant, high-context moments when decisions are beginning to take shape,” said Dave Dugan, OpenAI’s vice-president and head of global ads solutions. India offers scale. OpenAI said earlier this year that ChatGPT had more than 100 million weekly users in India; the company has since said weekly active users have doubled year on year. For advertisers, the real test is whether high-context placements produce better-qualified demand without weakening user trust. Early campaigns should measure conversion quality, incrementality and brand safety before shifting meaningful budgets from search, social or retail media. You Might Be Interested In Good Food launches Good Health to counter hype in wellness media Personalization and Growth Top CMO Agendas as MarTech Booms Dove transforms Reddit reviews into campaign Spotify’s latest ad story is about better tools, not louder promises UAE grants Starlink 10-year satellite internet licence Retail Media’s Rapid Rise Tests Consumer Patience