On September 16, 2026, OpenAI announced a set of new advertising features for its ChatGPT Ads platform. The company said it is testing 'Sponsored Agents,' which let users start a clearly labeled conversation with a business-sponsored agent after clicking an ad in ChatGPT. According to OpenAI, the conversation is distinct from ChatGPT's independent answers and separate from the user's original conversation. Sponsored Agents are being tested with select advertisers in the United States. OpenAI also said advertisers can now use natural-language prompts to create, update, and analyze campaigns directly in ChatGPT via an Ads Manager plugin, and can turn a website or brief into a campaign. New AI assistance in Ads Manager can suggest ad copy and imagery based on a landing page and campaign objective, with advertisers reviewing and editing before adding to a campaign. Advertisers can also opt into AI-powered text customization, which adapts existing headlines and descriptions and automatically translates ad copy to a user's preferred language. OpenAI named HubSpot as its first CRM partner and Shopify as its first ecommerce partner. US-based Shopify merchants can use a new ChatGPT Ads app in the Shopify App Store today, with international availability beginning September 23. Businesses can sign up at ads.openai.com.
- Sponsored Agents are in testing with select US advertisers
- Advertisers can create and manage campaigns via natural-language prompts in ChatGPT
- HubSpot is the first CRM partner and Shopify the first ecommerce partner; Shopify app goes international September 23
What it means for you
OpenAI is building out an advertising business inside ChatGPT, and it now plugs directly into two tools many small businesses already use — HubSpot and Shopify. The headline feature, 'Sponsored Agents,' means someone who clicks your ad can chat with a bot that answers questions about your product before visiting your site. This is early and US-focused, so for most it's a new channel to keep an eye on rather than something you must adopt today.
Try this
If you run a Shopify store in the US, install the new ChatGPT Ads app from the Shopify App Store and run one small, low-budget test campaign to see how it performs against your existing ad channels before committing more.
Who should care
US-based Shopify merchants and HubSpot users who already spend on paid ads and want to reach people using ChatGPT to shop and compare products.
Skip this if
You don't advertise online, you're outside the US and not on Shopify, or you have no budget to experiment with an unproven new ad channel.
Sources: OpenAI — read the original