OpenAI has started rolling out advertisements on ChatGPT in India, giving brands a new way to reach users on the AI platform. The initial rollout is focused on users of the Free and Go plans as the company expands its advertising programme in the country.

According to a TelecomTalk report today, advertisers in India can start campaigns with a daily budget of Rs 725. More than 50 brands intend to go live with advertisements this week, while self-serve access for advertisers in India is scheduled to open on September 4. This will allow businesses to create and manage their campaigns directly.

The advertising rollout is being supported by WPP and Omnicom, which are the first two agencies in India involved in distributing ChatGPT ads. OpenAI is expected to work with more agencies as its advertising programme expands in the Indian market.

For ChatGPT users, advertisements will appear separately from the AI-generated responses. OpenAI has said that ads will not influence ChatGPT’s answers. Advertisers will not be able to pay to change an answer, promote a particular response or affect how ChatGPT responds to a user’s query.

OpenAI has also said that advertisers will not get access to users’ private conversations. The advertising system is designed to remain separate from users’ chats with ChatGPT.

The India launch comes as brands and advertising agencies explore new ways to reach consumers through AI platforms. ChatGPT is increasingly being used for research, product discovery, planning and other everyday queries, giving advertisers a potential opportunity to connect with users while they are looking for information.

The rollout marks another step in OpenAI’s efforts to build an advertising business around ChatGPT. With self-serve access set to open in September, the programme could become available to a wider range of businesses and advertisers in India.