OpenAI Relaxes ChatGPT Ad Rules for Health, Finance Sectors

Bangalore, India – April, 18, 2026: Close up image of the official OpenAI webpage displaying the option to “Advertise With ChatGPT” as Open AI considers… — Image credit: Search Engine Journal

OpenAI has updated its advertising policies for ChatGPT, now permitting certain health and finance advertisements while maintaining restrictions on sensitive topics and political content, according to a recent report.

The policy shift, which began in April and received further clarifications in July and August, marks a significant departure from the AI company’s initial strict stance against such ad placements.

A report by SE Ranking, released this month, found that ChatGPT displayed ads on 28.69 percent of healthcare commercial prompts. This figure is substantially higher than Google‘s AI Mode, which showed ads on 2.64 percent of similar prompts, SE Ranking reported.

OpenAI’s ad placement rules no longer automatically block contexts related to medical, legal, and financial advice. However, specific categories within health and finance are subject to manual advertiser review before approval.

The company’s ad policies, last updated on August 10, permit advertisements for health insurance, dental services, and medical testing. Similarly, certain finance categories are allowed after undergoing a manual review process.

Despite the broader allowance for health and finance, legal advice and court-related work advertisements generally remain prohibited. Exceptions are made for general legal education content, according to OpenAI‘s guidelines.

Political advertisements continue to be completely banned across the platform, the company stated in its policy documents.

The SE Ranking report analyzed 50,006 commercial prompts in the United States on July 23. It found that 25.94 percent of these prompts returned an advertisement through ChatGPT.

SE Ranking acknowledged limitations in directly comparing ChatGPT to Google’s AI Mode due to differences in the keyword lists used and the dates of data collection.

Source: Search Engine Journal