OpenAI tests Sponsored Agents and expands ChatGPT Ads tools

OpenAI began testing Sponsored Agents with select U.S. advertisers on Wednesday, alongside AI-assisted campaign tools and integrations that bring ChatGPT Ads into HubSpot and Shopify workflows. The sponsored-agent format is not generally available, and OpenAI did not identify the advertisers taking part.

After clicking a ChatGPT ad, a user can choose to open a clearly labeled conversation with a business-sponsored agent, ask follow-up questions and follow a link to the advertiser’s website. OpenAI says the exchange is separate from ChatGPT’s independent answers and from the user’s original ChatGPT conversation.

Advertisers can also use natural-language prompts in ChatGPT Work through an Ads Manager plugin to create, update and analyze campaigns, according to OpenAI. The company says the plugin can turn a website or brief into a campaign, review performance and offer recommendations. Its announcement does not specify where or for which accounts that workflow is available.

A new Ads Manager feature can suggest copy and imagery from a landing page and campaign objective. Advertisers can review and edit the suggestions before adding them to a campaign. Another opt-in feature adapts existing headlines and descriptions to the context of a conversation and automatically translates ad copy into a user’s preferred language. The opened sources provide no independent results showing that the features improve campaign performance or reduce production time.

The HubSpot integration is documented as a beta. Eligible users can connect or create a ChatGPT Ads account, build campaigns, track performance and attribute contacts and deals to ad spending. HubSpot says a Super Admin must opt an account into the beta. The company also documents a conversion-event connection that can send consented signals from lifecycle-stage changes or form submissions to ChatGPT Ads for ad-targeting optimization. Optional shared fields can include contact information and network or location data.

OpenAI said the ChatGPT Ads app for Shopify became available to U.S.-based merchants on Wednesday. The listing names OpenAI as the developer and says merchants can synchronize product catalogs, create campaigns, configure conversion measurement and track performance from Shopify. OpenAI says the app will be available internationally on September 23 in markets where ChatGPT Ads is offered.

The additions build on OpenAI’s February U.S. ads pilot for logged-in adults on Free and Go plans and its May beta rollout of self-service Ads Manager, cost-per-click bidding and conversion measurement. The announcement expands the same advertising product covered in DataPhoenix’s report on OpenAI’s company-reported ChatGPT Ads run rate. OpenAI’s Ads Manager availability page lists access in multiple countries, but that broader footprint does not establish Sponsored Agents availability outside the select U.S. test.

OpenAI says Sponsored Agents could help people decide whether a product fits their needs and give businesses a more personalized way to present products. The opened sources provide no independent evidence for those benefits. The announcement does not disclose the test’s cohort size, pricing, eligibility rules, duration or expansion timetable.