Guide · AI search
ChatGPT ads in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, what is known so far.
OpenAI announced ads in ChatGPT on 16 January 2026, starting with tests in the United States, and has since opened them market by market. The ads sit below an answer, are labelled, and are shown to users on the Free and Go plans, not on paid plans such as Plus and Pro. A tracker of OpenAI’s availability list reports the UAE and Saudi Arabia were added on 16 September 2026, so confirm it before you plan a budget.
Sources
- PPC Land. Report of OpenAI’s announcement of ads in ChatGPT, its principles and its first test. Published 16 January 2026. Read on .
- Campaign Middle East. ChatGPT Ads arrive in the Middle East and North Africa, self serve through Ads Manager. Published 2 September 2026. Read on .
- Index Lab. The UAE and OpenAI’s ChatGPT Ads availability list, published 2 September and updated 17 September 2026 to report the UAE added on 16 September. Read on .
- Index Lab. Country list of ChatGPT Ads availability, with a changelog to 12 October 2026: the UAE and Saudi Arabia listed for self serve accounts from 16 September 2026, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman from 31 August. Read on .
01 · Timeline
From a test to a rollout
On 16 January 2026 OpenAI said it would begin testing ads with logged in adults in the United States on the Free and Go plans. Through 2026 it added markets, and by early September advertisers across the Middle East and North Africa could buy through its self serve Ads Manager, as Campaign Middle East reported on 2 September.
The UAE was not on OpenAI’s own availability list at first. Index Lab, which tracks that list, reported that the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Turkey were added on 16 September 2026. We could not confirm it on OpenAI’s own help centre at the time of writing, so confirm availability in Ads Manager for your own account.
02 · The Gulf
ChatGPT ads in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC
Trackers of OpenAI’s availability table list the UAE and Saudi Arabia for self serve accounts from 16 September 2026, after Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, listed from 31 August. The account follows the business: a company registered in the UAE opens its account as a UAE advertiser, a company in Saudi Arabia as a Saudi advertiser.
OpenAI changes the table without announcements, so check Ads Manager for your own account on the day you plan, in each market you want to reach.
03 · Format
Where the ads appear
OpenAI described ads at the bottom of an answer when a sponsored product or service is relevant to the conversation, clearly labelled and separate from the answer. It said ads would not be shown to users it believes are under 18, or near sensitive or regulated topics such as health, mental health or politics.
04 · The rules
What OpenAI says ads do not do
OpenAI’s stated principles include answer independence, meaning ads do not influence the answers ChatGPT gives, and conversation privacy, meaning conversations are kept private from advertisers and user data is not sold to them. These are OpenAI’s own commitments, and an advertiser cannot verify them from outside.
05 · Buying
How advertisers buy
Reports on the rollout describe three routes: the self serve Ads Manager, OpenAI’s own sales team, and agency and technology partners. Bidding and targeting options differ by market and change often, so read them in Ads Manager on the day you plan.
06 · Ads and answers
An ad is not a place in the answer
An ad sits below the answer. Being named inside the answer is something else, earned from the sources the model reads, and by OpenAI’s own rule ads do not buy it. For most UAE businesses the sensible order is to fix what ChatGPT says about you first, then test ads on questions where you already appear.
Questions, answered.
Can I advertise on ChatGPT in the UAE?
A tracker of OpenAI’s list reports the UAE joined Ads Manager availability on 16 September 2026. Availability has changed often this year, so check Ads Manager for your own account before you plan.
Can I advertise on ChatGPT in Saudi Arabia (KSA)?
Trackers of OpenAI’s availability table report Saudi Arabia was added for self serve accounts on 16 September 2026, the same day as the UAE. Confirm it in Ads Manager for your own account before you plan a budget.
How much do ChatGPT ads cost?
OpenAI sells through bids, so cost depends on the market, the bidding type and the competition for a question. We do not quote figures we cannot source.
Do ads change what ChatGPT answers?
OpenAI says no. Its answer independence principle states that ads do not influence answers, and ads appear below the answer with a label.
Who sees ads in ChatGPT?
Logged in adults on the Free and Go plans, in markets where ads are live. OpenAI said the Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise plans stay ad free.
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