{
  "updated": "2026-11-04",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0",
  "events": [
    {
      "date": "2026-10-28",
      "platform": "google-aimode",
      "kind": "expansion",
      "title": "Google AI Mode ads expand to 10 more countries",
      "detail": "Ads in AI Mode expanded to Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Singapore. Multiturn ads launched in the US; Brazil, Mexico and the UK are planned for Q4.",
      "sources": [
        "g-aimode-global",
        "ser-aimode-oct"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-10-21",
      "platform": "chatgpt",
      "kind": "expansion",
      "title": "ChatGPT ads expand to 89 countries",
      "detail": "OpenAI added 26 countries, including 14 in Latin America, and said more than 100,000 advertisers have run campaigns since launch.",
      "sources": [
        "oai-89",
        "reuters-89",
        "ppcland-89"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-10-05",
      "platform": "chatgpt",
      "kind": "format",
      "title": "Visual ads during image generation announced",
      "detail": "OpenAI said it would test clearly labeled visual ads shown during ChatGPT image generation in the US, kept separate from generated images.",
      "sources": [
        "tc-visual"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-10-05",
      "platform": "chatgpt",
      "kind": "buying",
      "title": "OpenAI names measurement partners and brand-suitability pilots",
      "detail": "OpenAI named conversion, attribution and incrementality partners including LiveRamp, AppsFlyer, Adjust, Branch and Haus, and pilots with DoubleVerify and IAS to evaluate its safeguards.",
      "sources": [
        "oai-measurement",
        "adtechradar-measurement"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-09-23",
      "platform": "chatgpt",
      "kind": "expansion",
      "title": "ChatGPT ads reach Southeast Asia and Taiwan",
      "detail": "Ads launched in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan; OpenAI described availability as more than 60 countries.",
      "sources": [
        "oai-sea",
        "ppcland-89"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-09-16",
      "platform": "chatgpt",
      "kind": "format",
      "title": "OpenAI tests Sponsored Agents",
      "detail": "Users who click some ads can start a separate, labeled conversation with a business-sponsored agent. OpenAI also added AI tools for advertisers and HubSpot and Shopify integrations.",
      "sources": [
        "oai-reimagining",
        "ser-sponsored-agents"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-08-31",
      "platform": "chatgpt",
      "kind": "buying",
      "title": "Self-serve Ads Manager opens beyond the US",
      "detail": "OpenAI opened self-serve buying across India, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, and said ads were rolling out in select Middle East and North Africa countries. A $1 billion annualized ad run rate was also reported around this time.",
      "sources": [
        "ppcland-mena",
        "flyweel",
        "tnw-89"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-08-24",
      "platform": "chatgpt",
      "kind": "expansion",
      "title": "ChatGPT ads expand to 31 European countries",
      "detail": "OpenAI's largest single expansion brought ads to Free and Go users in 31 European markets, including Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Poland and the Netherlands.",
      "sources": [
        "ppcland-89",
        "tnw-europe"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-08-19",
      "platform": "copilot",
      "kind": "buying",
      "title": "AI Max rolls out to all Microsoft Advertising accounts",
      "detail": "Microsoft began rolling out AI Max to all advertiser accounts globally, tied to conversational queries on Bing and Copilot (reported).",
      "sources": [
        "relevant-aimax"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-08-11",
      "platform": "chatgpt",
      "kind": "expansion",
      "title": "OpenAI confirms ads in five more countries",
      "detail": "OpenAI updated its ads post to say ads had launched in the UK, Mexico, Brazil, Japan and South Korea. Mexico and Brazil were separately reported live on August 17.",
      "sources": [
        "oai-testing",
        "ppcland-mxbr"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-06-22",
      "platform": "chatgpt",
      "kind": "expansion",
      "title": "ChatGPT ads reach Japan and South Korea",
      "detail": "Ads were reported live in Japan and South Korea, the first non-English markets, with UK self-serve opening the same day.",
      "sources": [
        "ppcland-89"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-06-11",
      "platform": "amazon-rufus",
      "kind": "format",
      "title": "Amazon Ads sets out ad formats for Alexa for Shopping",
      "detail": "Amazon listed sponsored ads within conversations and Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands prompts, and said existing sponsored ads campaigns are automatically eligible.",
      "sources": [
        "amazon-agentic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-06-06",
      "platform": "chatgpt",
      "kind": "expansion",
      "title": "ChatGPT ads go live in the UK",
      "detail": "OpenAI's VP of monetization announced UK ads were live. UK self-serve buying followed on June 22 (reported).",
      "sources": [
        "ppcland-uk",
        "ppcland-89"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-05-20",
      "platform": "google-aimode",
      "kind": "format",
      "title": "Google tests new ad formats inside AI Mode",
      "detail": "Google announced Conversational Discovery ads and Highlighted Answers, testing in the US in English, and expanded its Direct Offers pilot.",
      "sources": [
        "g-gml2026",
        "brandspur-gml",
        "ppcland-gml"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-05-13",
      "platform": "amazon-rufus",
      "kind": "format",
      "title": "Amazon merges Rufus into Alexa for Shopping",
      "detail": "Amazon combined Rufus and Alexa+ into a single shopping assistant, Alexa for Shopping, for US customers.",
      "sources": [
        "ppcland-alexa"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-05-07",
      "platform": "chatgpt",
      "kind": "expansion",
      "title": "UK, Mexico, Brazil, Japan and South Korea named as next markets",
      "detail": "OpenAI said its ads pilot would expand to five more countries in the coming weeks.",
      "sources": [
        "oai-testing",
        "ppcland-five"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-05-05",
      "platform": "chatgpt",
      "kind": "buying",
      "title": "OpenAI launches self-serve Ads Manager with CPC bidding",
      "detail": "US businesses could sign up and buy ChatGPT ads directly. OpenAI added CPC bidding alongside CPM, plus a Conversions API and pixel, and named agency and technology partners.",
      "sources": [
        "oai-buy",
        "sej-adsmanager"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-04-29",
      "platform": "gemini",
      "kind": "policy",
      "title": "Google signals AI Mode ad formats could come to Gemini",
      "detail": "On Alphabet's Q1 earnings call, Google's chief business officer said a format that works well in AI Mode would transfer to the Gemini app, while saying Google is not rushing.",
      "sources": [
        "shopifreaks-gemini",
        "androidcentral-gemini"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-04-22",
      "platform": "copilot",
      "kind": "format",
      "title": "Microsoft announces AI Max for Search and Offer Highlights",
      "detail": "Microsoft Advertising said AI Max would open as a pilot in May, expanding ad matching across Copilot and Bing, and introduced Offer Highlights for AI conversations.",
      "sources": [
        "mediapost-aimax",
        "techwyse-aimax"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-04-16",
      "platform": "chatgpt",
      "kind": "expansion",
      "title": "ChatGPT ads live in Canada, Australia and New Zealand",
      "detail": "OpenAI's release notes confirmed ads rolling out to Free and Go users in the three markets.",
      "sources": [
        "techwyse-anz",
        "digitalapplied-anz"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-03-26",
      "platform": "chatgpt",
      "kind": "expansion",
      "title": "OpenAI plans first markets outside the US",
      "detail": "OpenAI said early results were encouraging and that pilots in Canada, Australia and New Zealand would start in the coming weeks.",
      "sources": [
        "oai-testing",
        "shopifreaks-anz"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-03-25",
      "platform": "amazon-rufus",
      "kind": "launch",
      "title": "Rufus Sponsored Prompts reach general availability in the US",
      "detail": "Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands prompts moved from beta to general availability and became billable per click.",
      "sources": [
        "acadia-rufus",
        "ppcland-alexa"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-02-09",
      "platform": "chatgpt",
      "kind": "launch",
      "title": "ChatGPT ads go live in the US",
      "detail": "OpenAI began showing labeled ads to logged-in adults on the Free and Go plans in the US. Early pricing was reported at a $60 CPM with large minimum commitments.",
      "sources": [
        "oai-testing",
        "thekeyword-pilot"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-02-04",
      "platform": "claude",
      "kind": "policy",
      "title": "Anthropic says Claude will remain ad-free",
      "detail": "Anthropic published its ad-free commitment and launched a Super Bowl campaign built around it.",
      "sources": [
        "anthropic-space",
        "reuters-anthropic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-02",
      "platform": "perplexity",
      "kind": "exit",
      "title": "Perplexity moves away from advertising",
      "detail": "The Financial Times reported that Perplexity was abandoning its ads business, citing concerns about trust in its answers.",
      "sources": [
        "campaignasia-perplexity",
        "gigazine-perplexity"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-01-16",
      "platform": "chatgpt",
      "kind": "announcement",
      "title": "OpenAI announces ChatGPT ads test and ad principles",
      "detail": "OpenAI said it would test ads for logged-in adults on the Free and Go plans in the US, and published principles including answer independence and conversation privacy.",
      "sources": [
        "oai-approach"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2025-12-08",
      "platform": "gemini",
      "kind": "policy",
      "title": "Google: no ads in the Gemini app, and no current plans",
      "detail": "Google's VP of global ads disputed a report that ads would come to the Gemini app in 2026.",
      "sources": [
        "9to5-gemini"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2025-11",
      "platform": "amazon-rufus",
      "kind": "format",
      "title": "Sponsored Prompts appear in the Amazon Ads console",
      "detail": "Amazon began rolling out Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands prompts tied to its Rufus shopping assistant (reported).",
      "sources": [
        "intentwise-prompts"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2025-10-01",
      "platform": "meta-ai",
      "kind": "policy",
      "title": "Meta says AI chats will shape ads on its apps",
      "detail": "Meta announced that interactions with Meta AI would be used to personalize ads and content from December 16, 2025, excluding the UK, EU and South Korea.",
      "sources": [
        "tc-meta",
        "fortune-meta"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2025-08-06",
      "platform": "grok",
      "kind": "announcement",
      "title": "Musk says ads are coming to Grok answers",
      "detail": "Speaking to advertisers, Elon Musk said X would let advertisers pay to appear in Grok's suggested answers. No timeline was given.",
      "sources": [
        "sel-grok",
        "fortune-grok"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2025-05-21",
      "platform": "google-aimode",
      "kind": "launch",
      "title": "Google brings ads to AI Mode and AI Overviews on desktop",
      "detail": "At Google Marketing Live, Google expanded AI Overviews ads to US desktop and began testing ads in AI Mode.",
      "sources": [
        "tc-aimode-2025",
        "ser-desktop-2025"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2025-03",
      "platform": "copilot",
      "kind": "format",
      "title": "Microsoft adds Showroom ads to Copilot",
      "detail": "Microsoft introduced interactive Showroom ads designed for Copilot's chat interface, piloted with select advertisers.",
      "sources": [
        "sel-showroom"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2024-11",
      "platform": "perplexity",
      "kind": "launch",
      "title": "Perplexity starts testing sponsored follow-up questions",
      "detail": "Perplexity began a US ads test using sponsored follow-up questions shown beside answers.",
      "sources": [
        "tc-perplexity-2024"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2024-10-03",
      "platform": "google-aio",
      "kind": "launch",
      "title": "Ads launch in Google AI Overviews",
      "detail": "Search and Shopping ads began appearing in AI Overviews for mobile users in the US, labeled Sponsored.",
      "sources": [
        "ppcland-aio-2024",
        "9to5-aio-2024"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2023-09",
      "platform": "copilot",
      "kind": "format",
      "title": "Microsoft announces Compare & Decide ads for Bing Chat",
      "detail": "Microsoft introduced its first conversational ad format for the chat interface that later became Copilot.",
      "sources": [
        "ser-bingchat-2023"
      ]
    },
    {
      "date": "2023-03-29",
      "platform": "copilot",
      "kind": "announcement",
      "title": "Microsoft says it is exploring ads in Bing Chat",
      "detail": "Microsoft confirmed it was exploring placing ads in the chat experience that later became Copilot, and said it would share ad revenue with publishers.",
      "sources": [
        "siliconangle-bingchat"
      ]
    }
  ]
}