Starting Monday, tens of millions of ChatGPT users across Europe will encounter advertisements woven into their conversations with the chatbot. OpenAI is extending its advertising programme to 31 European countries, bringing the total to 40 markets worldwide. The move marks the company's largest expansion of ChatGPT Ads since it began testing in the United States in February.
The rollout covers all 27 EU member states plus the UK, Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland. Ads will appear only on the free tier and the cheaper Go plan, while Plus, Pro, and Enterprise subscribers remain ad-free. OpenAI said the initiative gives European marketers "a new way to reach people while they are actively exploring, comparing, and making decisions."
Trust and transparency promises
OpenAI insists that user trust is central to its advertising approach. In a statement, the company said it keeps "conversations private from advertisers and never sell[s] customer data." It also stressed that "ads in ChatGPT are always clearly labelled and separate from ChatGPT’s answers, and advertising does not influence the answers ChatGPT provides."
Those assurances have not silenced critics. In January 2026, US Senator Ed Markey wrote to Sam Altman and other tech CEOs, warning that advertising in AI chatbots could exploit the emotional bonds users form with them. He asked how OpenAI would prevent ads from targeting sensitive topics like health, mental health, or politics.
When ads first appeared in the US, some users on the paid Go tier—which costs $8 a month—objected, arguing that paying should mean no ads at all, not merely fewer. OpenAI allows users to control ad personalisation, and those who prefer no ads can upgrade to more expensive plans.
The AI Act question
The European rollout raises a central question that the EU's AI Act was partly designed to address: when does personalised persuasion cross the line into manipulation? The Act prohibits AI systems that use subliminal or deliberately manipulative techniques, or exploit vulnerabilities, in ways that cause significant harm.
Researchers and consumer groups argue that conversational AI presents a uniquely difficult case. An ad placed inside a trusted, personalised chat exchange is far harder to recognise as persuasion than a banner or sponsored search result, precisely because it arrives in the same conversational tone as the advice around it. Chatbot ads have not yet been tested by regulators or courts.
Separately, the European Commission is weighing whether ChatGPT's search function should be designated a very large online search engine under the Digital Services Act (DSA). That status would apply once a service exceeds 45 million monthly users in the EU. Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier told Reuters in July that such a designation was "definitely possible" and could come "sooner or later."
For now, European users will see ads labelled as such, but the broader regulatory framework remains unsettled. The coming months will show whether the AI Act's vague boundaries offer enough protection—or whether chatbot ads force a rethink of what counts as manipulation in the digital age.
