ChatGPT Ads creative enhancements are now on by default, and multi-image ads are open to all

According to OpenAI's help page for ChatGPT Ads creative enhancements, the feature was switched on by default from Friday 30 October 2026 for new and existing campaigns that had not opted out. In the same week OpenAI opened a multi-image ad format to all advertisers as an open beta, with 4 to 6 square images, one destination URL and "Learn more" as the only button, and began rolling out a wider standard ad card on desktop. This post follows Relevant Audience's 23 October article on the planned default and covers only what has changed since then.

What is new since the 23 October article

Relevant Audience covered the creative enhancements plan on 23 October 2026, when OpenAI's own messages gave three different start dates. That article set out the four kinds of change (rewritten headlines and descriptions, translation, image resizing and destination URL changes), the opt-out path and the rule that a campaign setting beats the account default. Those mechanics are the same today, so they are only summarised here. Four things are new.

• The date conflict is settled. The help page, read on 31 October and marked "Updated: 2 days ago", now says: "Starting Friday, October 30, 2026, creative enhancements will be enabled automatically for new and existing campaigns." The earlier wording, "Thursday, October 31", is gone.
• Multi-image ads entered open beta in Ads Manager on Monday 26 October 2026, and OpenAI's weekly advertiser email of 30 October said the format is now open to all advertisers.
• A wider standard ad card that uses more of the conversation width on desktop is rolling out, according to the same email.
• OpenAI's other help pages describe how tracking parameters work, which matters once the system is allowed to change an ad's destination URL.

Creative enhancements: what the live help page says

OpenAI's help page describes creative enhancements as "designed to make your ads more relevant to the conversation and user interests". The system uses "your existing ad and landing-page content to adapt your message". Variations "may be prepared in advance or created in real time based on the conversation", and while the setting is on they "can run automatically without requiring you to review or approve each version". The FAQ on the page adds that the experience "does not provide a preview of every variation."

The opt-out wording moved with the date. Advertisers "can opt out before October 30 or change your settings at any time in Ads Manager", under Manage settings. Existing account-level and campaign-level opt-outs are preserved, and a campaign-level setting takes priority over the account default. Because 30 October has passed, any campaign that was not opted out has been eligible for enhanced versions since that day. Switching the setting off now stops future enhancements. It cannot recall versions that already ran.

Search Engine Journal's Matt G. Southern, writing on 30 October, added two pieces of history that the help page leaves out. On 16 September OpenAI introduced an optional AI text customization feature during set-up, which adjusted titles and descriptions to the conversation and translated ad copy into the user's language. And an OpenAI engineering post of 21 October said the system already writes a short introduction for every ad, separate from the advertiser's title, description, destination link and call to action. Southern noted that, as of 30 October, the help page does not explain how the September option relates to the new default.

Multi-image ads: the format specifications

OpenAI's "Creating ads for ChatGPT Ads" help page opens with the line: "Starting Monday, October 26, 2026, we're introducing the multi-image ad format in Ads Manager as an open beta." When building an ad, advertisers now choose Single image or Multiple images under Ad format. The table below compares the two formats as that page describes them.

Two details shape planning. First, every image points to the same URL, so the format suits one product range or collection page rather than four separate offers. Second, neither the "Creating ads" page nor the creative enhancements page says whether creative enhancements apply to multi-image ads. Search Engine Journal checked both pages on 30 October and found no answer either way. An advertiser who needs a multi-image ad to run exactly as built should not assume it is exempt.

The same help page gives image guidance for both formats: keep images "simple and relevant", avoid "overly abstract or cluttered visuals", and match the visual to the title and copy. It also asks advertisers to "build for coverage", meaning several title and description variations per offering, each taking a different angle. Ads personalization, where enabled, lets ChatGPT use select signals from a user's broader ChatGPT experience alongside conversational intent, according to the page.

The wider ad card on desktop

Search Engine Roundtable published OpenAI's weekly advertiser email on 30 October. In it, OpenAI described "a new, wider standard ad card that uses more of the conversation width on desktop". The format uses existing campaigns and creative, so OpenAI said no advertiser action is needed. The email gave no completion date for the rollout and did not say whether mobile layouts change.

According to Search Engine Roundtable, the email also repeated earlier news: ChatGPT Ads went live in 26 more countries, and the Shopify integration is now available internationally. OpenAI's 21 October announcement put the total at 89 countries and said over 100,000 advertisers have run campaigns since ads launched. Relevant Audience has covered the country expansion separately, so it is not repeated here.

Tracking when the destination URL can change

Creative enhancements may change the destination URL "to direct people to a relevant page on your website". The creative enhancements page does not say how tracking parameters carry over when that happens, or whether advertisers can exclude pages. OpenAI's other help pages describe how parameters work in general:

• The "Creating ads" page tells advertisers to add tracking parameters such as UTM tags directly to each ad's destination URL. For multi-image ads, all images share that URL.
• The "Measure Results" page says Ads Manager Beta supports landing page query parameters set at campaign, ad group or ad level, with macros including {campaign_id}, {ad_group_id}, {ad_id} and {ad_account_id} filled in at delivery time.
• The same page sets the order of precedence as Ad URL, then Ad, then Ad Group, then Campaign. A parameter already set on the ad URL is not overwritten by the other levels.
• Landing pages must use valid links and must not block OpenAI's user agents OAI-AdsBot and OAI-SearchBot.

The missing piece is how these rules interact with an enhanced destination. If the system swaps a product page for a category page, the help pages do not say whether UTM tags typed into the original ad URL travel with the click, or whether only the campaign-level query parameters are appended. The "Creating ads" page does give a way to check a live link: ChatGPT's iOS in-app browser shows only the hostname, so use Share to copy the full link and inspect its parameters.

Reporting will not show each enhanced version

Ads Manager reports impressions, clicks, spend, CTR, average CPC, average CPM and attributed conversions at campaign, ad group and ad level, according to the Measure Results page. Neither that page nor the creative enhancements page describes a report that lists each enhanced variant. OpenAI's own caveat on the creative enhancements page is plain: "Changes over time do not, on their own, establish the effect of creative enhancements."

Reporting delays matter for anyone reading early results. Impressions, clicks and CTR refresh roughly every 15 minutes, spend is delayed by about 7 to 8 hours, and attributed conversions can take 24 to 48 hours to appear. A before-and-after comparison made on 31 October would set a day or two of enhanced delivery against incomplete conversion data. A cleaner read, offered here as a suggestion, compares opted-in and opted-out campaigns over the same dates once conversions have settled.

Suggested ad drafts are a different feature

The "Creating ads" page describes a separate feature that is easy to confuse with creative enhancements. Some advertisers may see an "Add new ad" option in the campaign view. It uses existing website metadata to prefill an ad draft with an image, title and description, which the advertiser then reviews, edits and assigns to a campaign and ad group. OpenAI says this feature "does not generate new copy or imagery with AI." Unlike creative enhancements, these drafts pass through the advertiser before they run.

What the sources did not say

• Whether creative enhancements apply to multi-image ads.
• How tracking parameters behave when an enhanced ad sends the click to a different page, and whether pages can be excluded.
• Whether separate controls exist for text, translation, images and URLs. The help page describes one setting.
• When the wider desktop card will reach every account, and whether anything changes on mobile.
• Which languages enhanced ads can be translated into, and how many advertisers opted out before 30 October.

What this means for Thai marketers

This section is Relevant Audience analysis, not OpenAI guidance. ChatGPT Ads began rolling out in Thailand on 23 September 2026, so Thai campaigns that were not opted out are now eligible for enhanced versions. Brands running separate Thai and English ads should look at translation first, because the help page still does not list supported languages or explain how a language is chosen for a user.

For multi-image ads, the single-URL rule shapes the creative brief. A Thai retailer can use four to six square images from one collection, all landing on that collection page, but cannot point each image at a different promotion. With "Learn more" as the only button, campaigns that need a stronger action, such as a booking or a LINE add-friend flow, have to rely on the landing page to carry it.

A short check list for the coming week:

• Open Ads Manager, select Manage settings, and confirm the account default and each live campaign's own setting.
• Click a live ad in ChatGPT on iOS, use Share to copy the full link, and confirm the UTM tags arrive on the landing page.
• Confirm that robots.txt, the CDN and the firewall do not block OAI-AdsBot or OAI-SearchBot.
• Check that prices, promotions and stock shown on landing pages are current, because enhancements draw on them.
• Review how current images and headlines look in the wider desktop card once it appears in the account.

Teams that want help with settings, tracking or creative for the new format can look at Relevant Audience's ChatGPT Ads management service.

Frequently asked questions

Are ChatGPT Ads creative enhancements switched on now?

Yes, unless the account or campaign was opted out. OpenAI's help page says creative enhancements were enabled automatically for new and existing campaigns starting Friday 30 October 2026, and opt-outs made before then were preserved.

Can I still turn creative enhancements off?

Yes. OpenAI says settings can be changed "at any time in Ads Manager" under Manage settings. Turning the feature off stops future enhanced versions but does not undo versions that already ran, and a campaign-level setting overrides the account default.

What are the image requirements for ChatGPT multi-image ads?

A multi-image ad needs 4 to 6 square images with a 1:1 aspect ratio. All images link to one destination URL, "Learn more" is the only call to action, and the format is available for standard campaigns with Reach, Clicks or Conversions objectives.

Do creative enhancements apply to multi-image ads?

OpenAI has not said. Search Engine Journal checked the relevant help pages on 30 October 2026 and found no statement either way, so advertisers should not assume the format is exempt.

Do I need to do anything for the wider desktop ad card?

No. OpenAI's 30 October email said the wider card uses existing campaigns and creative, so no advertiser action is needed. Checking how current images and headlines display in the wider card is optional.

Creative enhancements are now live, and the open questions are about control and measurement rather than dates. For background on how AI answers are changing the way people find brands, see Relevant Audience's generative engine optimisation service.