OpenAI is testing a new advertising format called Sponsored Agents that allows ChatGPT users to start conversations with AI representatives of businesses after interacting with an advertisement, expanding its advertising model beyond conventional sponsored placements.
The format is currently being tested with select advertisers in the United States. When users encounter a relevant ad, they can choose to enter a clearly labelled conversation with a business-sponsored AI agent. The agent can answer questions about products or services and direct users to the advertiser's website when they want to take further action.
OpenAI said conversations with Sponsored Agents remain separate from ChatGPT's independent responses and from the original conversation a user was having with ChatGPT. The distinction is part of the company's wider approach of keeping paid advertising separate from its AI-generated answers.
Alongside Sponsored Agents, OpenAI is expanding the tools available to marketers using ChatGPT Ads. Businesses can use prompts in ChatGPT Work to help create advertising campaigns, while Ads Manager is receiving additional AI-powered creative capabilities intended to simplify campaign development.
The company is also integrating its advertising products with external marketing and commerce platforms. HubSpot has become its first CRM integration partner, while Shopify is its first ecommerce integration partner. The integrations are intended to allow businesses to work with ChatGPT Ads through platforms they already use for customer management and online commerce.
The latest additions come as OpenAI builds advertising into a larger part of its commercial model. The company said in August that ChatGPT Ads had reached $1 billion in annualised revenue run rate less than 200 days after launch and was being used by tens of thousands of advertisers. It has also expanded access to Ads Manager across markets including India, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
OpenAI has been adding more conventional advertising capabilities as the platform scales. Advertisers can create campaigns through Ads Manager, set budgets and objectives, upload advertising assets and measure campaign performance. The company has also introduced cost-per-click buying and expanded measurement tools.
Sponsored Agents, however, introduce a more conversational layer to the advertising experience. Instead of ending with an impression or click, an advertisement can lead into an AI-powered interaction in which potential customers ask detailed questions before deciding whether to visit the advertiser.
The format remains in limited testing and is not currently available to all advertisers. OpenAI has not announced when Sponsored Agents will receive a wider rollout.
For marketers, the experiment marks another step towards advertising formats built around conversations and AI-assisted decision-making rather than traditional search queries or static placements.
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