ChatGPT Will Now Rewrite Your Ads by Default — and You Had Days to Say No

From 30 October, OpenAI turned on 'creative enhancements' for ChatGPT Ads by default — automatically rewriting, translating and redirecting advertiser creative unless brands actively opted out, a change multiple outlets flagged as handing control from marketers to the model.

What changed

OpenAI's new 'creative enhancements' for ChatGPT Ads went live on an opt-out basis at the end of October, as reported by Search Engine Land, Search Engine Journal and eMarketer among others. In practice, the system can rewrite ad copy, translate it into the user's language and even adjust where the ad points — all automatically, and all on by default. Advertisers were given a short window to switch it off before it applied to live ads.

This is a small setting with a big principle behind it. For the first time at this scale, the platform — not the advertiser — holds the pen on the creative by default.

Why it matters

For years, automation crept into targeting and bidding. The creative itself — the words, the claim, the call to action — stayed with the brand. 'Creative enhancements' crosses that line. The upside is real: for a time-poor small business, an engine that rewrites and localises ads can lift relevance and reach audiences in languages you'd never have written for. The risk is equally real: an automated rewrite can soften a precise claim, alter regulated wording, or send a user somewhere you didn't intend — and 'the AI changed it' is not a defence a regulator or a customer will accept.

Marketing Minute's framework: keep it on, or opt out?

Keep it on if you're a small or mid-sized advertiser with limited creative resource, broad and unregulated messaging, and a genuine need to reach multiple languages or markets cheaply. In that situation the machine will often out-test you, and the downside of an imperfect rewrite is low.

Opt out if you operate in a regulated category (finance, health, alcohol, gambling), if your claims are legally substantiated word-by-word, if brand voice and exact phrasing are part of your value, or if a redirected destination could break a promise or a compliance rule. In those cases, keep the pen. The rule of thumb: the more a single wrong word can cost you, the less you should let anything rewrite it automatically.

Whatever you choose, the deeper takeaway is governance. Someone in your business should own the question 'who is allowed to change our advertising, and on what terms?' — because platforms will increasingly answer it for you by default if you don't.

Quick FAQ

Can I turn OpenAI's creative enhancements off?

Yes — it's a setting in ChatGPT Ads. The catch is that it was switched on by default from 30 October, so advertisers who didn't act had it applied to their live ads automatically.

Should every advertiser opt out?

No. For small, time-poor advertisers with broad, unregulated messaging it can genuinely improve performance and localisation. Opt out when exact wording, regulated claims or the landing destination carry real legal or brand risk.

The quiet word in this story is 'default'. Most advertisers never change a default, which is exactly why platforms set them in their own favour. I'm not against the machine rewriting an ad — sometimes it's better than we are. I'm against not deciding. Know who holds the pen on your advertising, and choose it on purpose. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing

The most important ad setting you'll touch this year is a default you might never have seen. Decide who's allowed to rewrite your advertising — don't let a checkbox decide for you.

Would you let an AI rewrite your ads automatically — and does your answer change by channel?

If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk

Sources: Search Engine Land, Search Engine Journal, eMarketer, MediaPost and OpenAI Help Center.

Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute