ChatGPT to roll out ads in Australia and New Zealand as monetisation expands

ChatGPT will begin rolling out advertising in Australia and New Zealand in the coming weeks, as OpenAI expands its ads pilot beyond the United States.

The move marks a significant step in the platform’s monetisation strategy and signals the next phase of competition in digital discovery, as conversational AI increasingly becomes a place where consumers research, compare and make decisions.

The initial rollout will apply to logged-in adult users on Free and Go tiers, with paid plans including Plus, Pro and Enterprise remaining ad-free. Ads will appear within the chat interface as clearly labelled sponsored results, positioned alongside responses but separated from core answers.

OpenAI said ads will not influence responses generated by ChatGPT, which will continue to be optimised based on relevance and usefulness.

“Ads do not influence the answers ChatGPT gives you. Answers are optimised based on what’s most helpful to you,” the company said.

The system will match ads to the context of a user’s query, such as showing grocery or meal kit brands during recipe searches, using signals from the conversation and past interactions.

The rollout introduces a new type of inventory for brands in Australia - one that is embedded directly within intent-driven conversations rather than traditional search results or social feeds.

Unlike keyword search, where users navigate lists of links, ChatGPT’s interface surfaces a single synthesised answer, raising new questions around how brands gain visibility when there are fewer opportunities to click.

OpenAI, owner of ChatGPT, said advertisers will not have access to individual conversations or personal data, instead receiving only aggregated performance metrics such as impressions and clicks. Ads will also be restricted from appearing alongside sensitive topics such as health, politics or mental health, with additional controls allowing users to manage or opt out of ad personalisation.

The company said early results from the US pilot show no measurable impact on user trust, low dismissal rates and improving relevance as the system learns from feedback.

The rollout comes as platforms race to define how advertising fits within AI-driven discovery, where users are increasingly seeking answers rather than browsing content.