OpenAI is testing Sponsored Agents that let a person open a conversation with a business after clicking an advertisement in ChatGPT. The sponsored exchange is clearly labeled and kept separate from both ChatGPT’s independent answers and the conversation in which the ad appeared. Selected US advertisers are participating first.
The company is also moving campaign work into ChatGPT. An Ads Manager plugin can create, update and analyze campaigns from natural-language prompts, while the advertising dashboard can suggest copy and images from a landing page and campaign objective. Advertisers must review the suggestions before using them. An optional feature can adapt existing headlines and descriptions to the context of a conversation and translate them into a user’s preferred language.
HubSpot customers can now connect a ChatGPT Ads account, create campaigns, track results and follow up on leads inside their customer-management system. A Shopify app offers similar campaign management to US merchants using products already stored in Shopify Catalog; international availability is planned for September 23 in markets where ChatGPT Ads operates. The launch turns ChatGPT from an ad surface into a conversational sales channel. Its practical test will be whether users can distinguish sponsored guidance from neutral assistance and understand what data moves between ChatGPT, advertisers and connected business tools.