OpenAI is testing Sponsored Agents with selected advertisers in the United States, bringing a new commercial conversation format into ChatGPT. After seeing a relevant ad, a user can choose to open a clearly labeled conversation with the sponsoring business, ask follow-up questions, and visit the advertiser’s website.
The conversation is separate from ChatGPT’s independent answers and from the user’s original conversation. That boundary is the key detail: Sponsored Agents are designed as an advertising interaction inside ChatGPT, not as a replacement for the assistant’s regular responses.
What OpenAI announced and when
OpenAI announced the test on September 16, 2026. The company described Sponsored Agents as a way for interested users to explore a product or service through a business-sponsored conversation after encountering a relevant ad.
The test is limited to selected U.S. advertisers. OpenAI has not described it as a broad launch for every ChatGPT user or advertiser.
How a Sponsored Agent conversation works
The user journey has a straightforward sequence:
- A relevant ad appears in ChatGPT.
- The user chooses to start the sponsored conversation.
- The business-sponsored agent answers questions and helps the user explore the offering.
- The user can follow a link to the advertiser’s website.
The sponsored conversation carries a clear business-sponsorship label. Users can explain what matters to them and ask follow-up questions, which gives the ad format more room to handle product discovery than a conventional static placement.
The announced flow ends with a handoff to the advertiser’s website. OpenAI describes questions, product exploration, and that link—not an autonomous purchase—as the user actions in the format.
What changes for advertisers
OpenAI is also expanding Ads Manager, giving advertisers more campaign controls through natural-language prompts. Advertisers can create, update, analyze, and review campaigns in ChatGPT, as well as receive recommendations about campaign performance.
The system can suggest advertising copy and imagery using a landing page and the campaign objective as inputs. Advertisers can review and edit those suggestions before using them.
Optional text customization can adapt headlines and descriptions to conversational context. It can also translate ad copy into a user’s preferred language, extending the same AI-assisted workflow beyond campaign setup and into creative variation.
HubSpot and Shopify join the platform
OpenAI identifies HubSpot as its first announced CRM partner and Shopify as its first announced e-commerce partner.
U.S.-based Shopify merchants can use the ChatGPT Ads app. The two integrations place the new Sponsored Agents format alongside tools aimed at helping businesses manage campaigns and connect advertising with customer and commerce workflows.
For users, the immediate change is narrower but significant: an ad in ChatGPT can lead into a labeled business conversation that remains distinct from the assistant’s independent answers.
