ChatGPT ads arrived Wednesday as OpenAI opened its chatbot to advertising for the first time, unveiling a format called Sponsored Agents that lets brands complete tasks for users inside a conversation rather than just showing a banner.
Home-services marketplace Angi is the first named partner, letting ChatGPT users move from discussing a leaky faucet to booking a local contractor without leaving the chat. OpenAI also rolled out new tools for marketers and a direct commerce integration with Shopify.
The company detailed the launch on its blog Wednesday.
Sponsored Agents Turn ChatGPT Into A Transaction Layer
A Sponsored Agent is not a static advertisement. It is a task-completing AI process that a brand pays to embed inside ChatGPT, capable of pulling in a user's stated need and executing a real-world action like a service booking.
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That distinguishes it from search ads, which only rank links, because the agent can actually transact on the user's behalf.
OpenAI framed the launch as letting "homeowners go directly from discussing a home project in ChatGPT to connecting with a skilled local pro," according to language in Angi's own announcement, posted the same day.
The move follows OpenAI's separate deepening of ties with HubSpot, announced hours earlier, which extends AI tools to small businesses using HubSpot's marketing software.
OpenAI Tests A New Advertising Model
Advertising has long been the obvious revenue lever for a chatbot with hundreds of millions of weekly users, since subscription revenue alone has not covered OpenAI's compute costs.
Sponsored Agents test whether users will tolerate paid placements inside a tool they use for advice, a tension every ad-supported product from search to social media has had to manage.
Sponsored Agents Put Commerce Inside The Chat
OpenAI did not disclose pricing or how many advertisers have signed on beyond Angi and its Shopify integration. The company said more marketer tools are rolling out in the coming weeks.
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