Ethics and safety·September 1, 2026, 15:27

ChatGPT gets ads in 31 European countries as criticism of OpenAI grows

AI-generated and checked against the sources listed below.

On August 24, 2026, OpenAI began showing ads in ChatGPT across the EU and four other countries. It comes as earlier criticism of the company's safety work and ads continues to follow it.

OpenAI has expanded ads in ChatGPT to 31 European countries. This covers all 27 EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Denmark is included. The ads began appearing on August 24, 2026.

Who sees the ads?

The ads are shown to users of the free version of ChatGPT and of the Go subscription. Users with Plus, Pro and Enterprise are spared.

OpenAI says the ads will be clearly labeled and kept separate from ChatGPT's answers. The company also says ads do not influence the answers and that advertisers do not get access to users' conversations.

Questions about sensitive information

In the US, the ads have been tested since the spring. There, they appear below the chatbot's answers and by default can be tailored to the content of the user's current and previous conversations. In Europe, the rules on personal data are stricter. Reports on OpenAI's setup indicate that the company will ask for consent before ads are targeted. A Member of the European Parliament, Gozi, has also questioned how the ads use sensitive information.

Internal criticism

The expansion comes after OpenAI faced criticism from within its own ranks in the spring. Researcher Zoë Hitzig reportedly quit the same day the ad test began. She warned that ads could undermine users' trust and compared the development to Facebook. At the same time, the "mission alignment" team, which was meant to ensure the technology serves humanity, has reportedly been disbanded, and its seven members have been spread across the company.

What about watermarks?

The headline also mentions EU watermarking, meaning hidden or visible marks that reveal AI-generated content. I could not find reliable coverage of exactly what OpenAI has done here, so I cannot confirm it. The sources only mention that the EU AI Act requires labeling of AI content.

What does it mean for you?

If you use free ChatGPT, you will now see ads. If you want to avoid them, you have to pay for a subscription above Go. You should also consider what you write in your conversations, since by default they can be used to tailor ads if you give consent.