ChatGPT Ads in France: Who Sees the Ads and How to Target Them

OpenAI expands its advertising platform to France and 30 other European markets. Ads appear below ChatGPT responses, with targeting based on the context of conversations and a minimum budget of 15 euros per day. Business and Enterprise offerings remain excluded, and the initiative is hindered by limited cookie acceptance, while Google has not yet sold the equivalent ad space in France.

Exposed Audience, Exclusions, and Announced Guarantees

In ChatGPT, only adult users benefiting from the Free and Go plans are exposed to ads. OpenAI states that free access is funded by these ads, clarifies that advertising does not impact the responses generated by the model, and guarantees that conversations are not shared with advertisers. These assurances come as Havas reports that 26% of users express doubts about the neutrality of responses if ads are integrated. In France, ChatGPT has approximately 7.8 million daily unique visitors according to Médiamétrie. OpenAI does not provide country-specific details, but globally, in February 2026, about 5.5% of weekly users were subscribers, representing 50 million out of 900 million. If France follows this distribution, the majority of the audience would thus be affected by ad displays. Users of Business and Enterprise accounts do not see ads, implying that exposure mainly concerns personal rather than professional use.

Timeline and Purchase Conditions: From US Pilot to European Rollout

The announcement of the advertising program took place in January, with a launch on February 9, 2026, in the United States, followed by an expansion in spring to Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and then to other countries such as the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, and Mexico. On August 24, France joined the initiative along with 30 other European markets. At the launch in the United States, the CPM was around $60 with a minimum commitment of approximately $200,000. In May, OpenAI launched a self-service manager with CPC bidding and added conversion optimization. Many marketers have already run campaigns, and with around forty markets activated, the initiative has moved into a large-scale deployment phase.

Formats, Allowed Contexts, and Conversation Targeting

The chosen format is a sponsored card placed under the ChatGPT response, clearly distinguished from the generated text. Temporary conversations do not display ads, and sensitive topics such as personal health, mental health, or politics are excluded; political advertising is not accepted. The distribution relies on the subject of the ongoing conversation rather than on keywords or demographic criteria. Advertisers describe situations through contextual cues to guide the algorithm. OpenAI also offers geographic targeting, first-party audiences, and conversion measurement through the OpenAI Pixel and the Conversions API. Campaigns must be separated by web or app medium; this separation is recommended. Three objectives are available: reach, clicks, conversion, with a minimum budget of 15 euros per day per campaign. E-commerce merchants can import their product feed, a process described as still complex, with OpenAI's support deemed inexperienced.

Observed Costs and Measurement Limitations

According to initial tests by CyberCité, the observed CPM is around 11 euros, and the CPC is comparable to that of Google Ads, while the CPA still lacks sufficient data. Measuring impact remains tricky: limited cookie banner acceptance reduces the amount of data available in Analytics tools.

Facing Google: Advertising Openness and SEO Effects

Google activated AI Overview and AI Mode in France during the summer, with responses present on a significant share of informational queries, but the ad placement at the heart of these responses is not offered to French advertisers. Google Ads is also evolving towards intent-based triggering with AI Max. The specific feature highlighted for ChatGPT Ads is the display of the ad within a conversation where the user has detailed their need. However, in terms of volume, the audience remains smaller than that of Google and is limited to users of free offerings. In the United States, the appearance of an AI overview reduces the click-through rate on traditional results by about 50%; conversely, brands mentioned in these responses see their performance improve, and a brand can appear both in the response and in the sponsored space just below. The conversation thus becomes an additional advertising channel, alongside Google Ads and Meta Ads.

Usage Context and Purchase Intentions in France

Ipsos reported in May 2026 that 85% of French people use search engines daily, and Médiamétrie credits Google with 46 million daily unique visitors. Meanwhile, at the beginning of 2026, 59% of French people reported using generative AI, with one in two using it weekly, compared to 29% a year earlier. 20% already gather information via AI, and 18% compare offers, figures two to three times higher than last year. 55% of AI users claim to have made a purchase after receiving AI advice, and it is this decision-making moment that OpenAI makes available to advertisers with ChatGPT Ads. The platform is open, agencies like CyberCité are testing it and sharing feedback. CyberCité believes that the entry ticket remains modest, that competition for bids is still limited, and is already assisting advertisers with A/B testing and consulting.