Short answer
ChatGPT ads went from a US test in February 2026 to self-serve in 63 countries by October 2026. Key steps: self-serve and CPC bidding in May, UK in June, customer-list audiences in July, 31 European markets in August, Sponsored Agents and oCPM in September.
Timeline
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 16 Jan | OpenAI announces ads test and principles |
| 9 Feb | US pilot with sponsored cards, CPM |
| Apr | Canada, Australia, New Zealand |
| 5 May | Self-serve Ads Manager in US, CPC, Pixel, Conversions API |
| 2 Jun | Product feeds in Ads Manager |
| 6 Jun | UK ads live |
| 7 Jul | Customer-list audiences, bid adjustments |
| Aug | Product carousels; Brazil, Mexico; 31 European markets |
| 19 Aug | View-through reporting (1 day) |
| 31 Aug | Self-serve in Europe, India, Middle East, North Africa |
| 3 Sep | Ads Manager plugin |
| 16 Sep | Sponsored Agents test, oCPM, HubSpot and Shopify |
| 23 Sep | Southeast Asia and Taiwan; 60+ countries |
Questions
How reliable are these dates?
OpenAI announcements are primary sources; some dates come from dated trade-press tracking. Check the linked sources.
Facts checked against the sources below on 12 October 2026. Platforms change quickly: if something here no longer matches what you see, tell us and we will update it.
