What OpenAI announced
OpenAI said on Wednesday that it is testing Sponsored Agents, an ad format that lets ChatGPT users start a conversation with an agent run on behalf of a business after clicking an ad. According to OpenAI’s announcement, the test is running with select advertisers in the United States.
OpenAI describes the chat as “clearly labeled” and says it is distinct from ChatGPT’s independent answers and separate from the conversation the user originally started. The user can explain what they need, ask follow-up questions and follow a link to the business’s website when ready.
Who is testing it
OpenAI’s post does not name any advertisers. Two companies have said they are taking part. Angi, the US home services marketplace, said in its own release that it is among the first brands in the pilot. Its agent appears in relevant ChatGPT conversations about home services, and homeowners can pass project details into Angi’s request process to find a local professional.
Wayfair is also testing the format, it confirmed to Digiday in a report published on Monday. “We’re testing at limited scale with guardrails around product accuracy, transparency and service handoffs,” said Morgan Brown, Wayfair’s director of paid media. Digiday reported that the ad’s button carries a message such as “Chat with us”, and that OpenAI did not respond to its request for comment.
Tools for advertisers
OpenAI also announced several tools for the businesses buying ads. An Ads Manager plugin lets advertisers create, update and analyse campaigns in ChatGPT using plain-language prompts. Ads Manager itself now suggests ad copy and images based on an advertiser’s landing page and campaign goal, which advertisers can review and edit before use.
Advertisers can also opt in to AI text customisation, which OpenAI says adapts existing headlines and descriptions to the context of a conversation and automatically translates ad copy into a user’s preferred language.
HubSpot and Shopify
HubSpot is OpenAI’s first CRM partner and Shopify its first ecommerce partner. From Wednesday, HubSpot customers can connect a ChatGPT Ads account, create ads and follow up on leads inside HubSpot. A ChatGPT Ads app is live now for US-based Shopify merchants, and OpenAI says it will be available internationally, in markets where ChatGPT Ads run, from 23 September.
Background
Ads in ChatGPT are shown only to users on the Free and Go plans; Plus, Pro and Enterprise remain ad-free, OpenAI said in August when it expanded ads to 31 European markets, six months after it began testing them in the US. In that post the company said it keeps conversations private from advertisers and never sells customer data. The Sponsored Agents announcement does not say how data from a sponsored chat is handled.
What to watch
The Shopify app’s international launch on 23 September is the next fixed date. OpenAI has not said when, or whether, Sponsored Agents will move beyond the US test.
