OpenAI claims its US Sponsored Agents test and newly released ad-management integrations turn ChatGPT Ads into a conversational business channel with campaign creation and management inside ChatGPT, HubSpot, and Shopify.

state: resolvedheat: lowuncertainty: lowknownscott: lowai-advertising sponsored-agents ai-commerceOpenAIHubSpotShopify

What is this?

The case attributes to OpenAI a US test of Sponsored Agents and new integrations for creating and managing ChatGPT Ads campaigns inside ChatGPT, HubSpot, and Shopify. It frames these developments as a conversational business channel, citing an item titled “Reimagining advertising with AI.” However, the supplied web search returned no results, so neither the announcement nor its availability, integration scope, or partner involvement is independently established here.

Why it matters to Scott

Scott already frames AI-controlled discovery as AI-Mediated Disruption and advertiser–user incentive conflicts through Shadow Principal; the radar also tracks ChatGPT advertising in “OpenAI will introduce personalized ads in ChatGPT Free and Go” and “OpenAI claims ChatGPT advertising has reached a $1 billion annualized run rate.” Sponsored Agents and campaign-management integrations would be a distinct extension, but the supplied evidence does not establish them, leaving an illustration of existing positions rather than a supported change to what Scott builds or argues.

ip:concept.ai-mediated-disruptionip:concept.shadow-principalradar:chatgpt-free-go-adsradar:openai-chatgpt-ads-global-rollout

queries asked of Scott's wikis

conversational commerce and agent-mediated customer acquisition
sponsored recommendations and assistant trust
advertising incentives versus user-aligned agents
CRM ecommerce integrations and agent workflow automation
AI platforms owning business distribution and customer relationships

Measured heat

no measured readings yet — the hourly heat pass fills this in

How the heat travelled

09-16 13:00	⭐ origin directly observed	Reimagining advertising with AI OpenAI on openai	—
09-18 19:23	first on hacker news · published · +54.4h	Advertising is coming to AI chatbots, and it could influence the answers you get mdp2021	—
09-18 19:23	amplified on hacker news 👑	hn.story.49758974 mdp2021	peak 2 · 1 comments · 101% of case engagement
09-17 10:21	our radar first saw it · +21.4h	discovery anchor: openai.article.b5a1743af4f41e16d8c68665	—

Evidence (2) — ⭐ canonical anchor

source	object	author	score	comments
🟧 openai ⭐	Reimagining advertising with AI Retrieved article excerpt Open article · Retrieved 2026-09-24T09:21:28.762884+00:00 September 16, 2026 [Product](https://openai.com/news/product-releases/) # Reimagining advertising with AI Introducing new AI-powered experiences for ChatGPT Ads. Get started Loading… Share Today, we’re introducing new AI-powered experiences to make ads more useful for people and advertising easier for businesses. We’re testing Sponsored Agents, which let people start a conversation with a business-sponsored agent after clicking an ad in ChatGPT. We are making it easier to create ads by simply writing a few prompts in ChatGPT Work. At the same time, we are making Ads Manager more powerful with new AI creative tools. Finally, new integrations with HubSpot, our first CRM partner, and Shopify, our first ecommerce partner, are bringing ChatGPT Ads into the tools businesses already use. Throughout this work, our [ads principles](https://openai.com/index/our-approach-to-advertising-and-expanding-access/) remain unchanged, and protecting the trust people place in ChatGPT remains our North Star. Together, these updates represent the next step in building our AI-based advertising platform. ## Being part of the AI conversation Ads in ChatGPT help people find what they’re looking for or discover something they hadn’t considered. But seeing an interesting product or service is often just the beginning. A shopper might be curious about a dining table they see in an ad but have questions about whether it fits their space, how many people it seats, or how to care for its finish. Sponsored Agents give users the option to go deeper. After seeing a relevant ad, a user can choose to start a clearly labeled conversation with a business-sponsored agent in ChatGPT. The user can explain what matters to them, ask follow-up questions, and follow a link to the business’s website when they’re ready to take the next step. For users, this can make it easier to understand whether a product or service is the right fit. For businesses, it’s an opportunity to help interested customers explore their offerings through a personalized conversation. The conversation with a Sponsored Agent is distinct from ChatGPT’s independent answers and separate from the original conversation that the user started in ChatGPT. Sponsored Agents are now being tested with select advertisers in the United States. ## Putting AI to work for marketers AI also opens new possibilities for how the work of advertising gets done. Many of the tasks involved in building and managing campaigns, from translating a brief into an ad to analyzing performance, can take significant time. Today, we’re rolling out new tools that make it easier for advertisers to use AI for ads management. Advertisers can now use simple, natural-language prompts to create, update, and analyze campaigns directly in ChatGPT with the Ads Manager plugin. They can turn a website or brief into a campaign, understand performance, and get recommendations on what to do next. We’re also rolling out AI assistance directly into Ads Manager to help advertisers create ads. When drafting an ad, advertisers can now receive suggested copy and imagery based on their landing page and campaign objective. Advertisers remain in control: they can review and edit suggestions before choosing whether to add them to a campaign. We’re also launching the ability to opt into AI-powered text customization. If enabled, it adapts an advertiser’s existing headlines and descriptions to better fit the context of a conversation and automatically translates ad copy to a user’s preferred language. ## Bringing new AI possibilities to existing marketing tools Adopting a new advertising channel shouldn’t require businesses to rebuild the way they work. That’s why we’re integrating ChatGPT Ads into HubSpot and Shopify as our first CRM and ecommerce partners. Starting today, businesses managing their customers in HubSpot can connect a [ChatGPT Ads account⁠(opens in a new window)](https://hubs.la/Q04tW3sT0), create ads, track performance, and follow up on leads directly in HubSpot powered by their HubSpot context. Also available today, US-based Shopify merchants can use the new [ChatGPT Ads app⁠(opens in a new window)](https://apps.shopify.com/chatgptads) in the Shopify App Store to create and manage ChatGPT ad campaigns. Products are already integrated through Shopify Catalog, so merchants can start running these ads and tracking performance right away. The app will be available internationally in markets where ChatGPT Ads are available starting September 23. ## Building an AI-powered advertising platform As people increasingly turn to AI to discover products, compare options, and make decisions, we’re creating new ways for people and businesses to connect. That means reimagining both sides of advertising: how people engage with businesses in an AI-native environment and how businesses use AI to create and manage their ads. Together, these launches reflect how we’re building an advertising platform with AI at its center: new ad experiences that make advertising more helpful for people and AI tools that let businesses spend less time on process and more time growing their business. Businesses can sign up at [ads.openai.com⁠(opens in a new window)](https://ads.openai.com). Eligible businesses can also get started through the [ChatGPT Ads for Shopify app⁠(opens in a new window)](https://apps.shopify.com/chatgptads) or the [ChatGPT Ads in HubSpot app⁠(opens in a new window)](https://hubs.la/Q04tW3sT0). - [2026](https://openai.com/news/?tags=2026) - [ChatGPT](https://openai.com/news/?tags=chatgpt) ## Author OpenAI ## Keep reading [View all](https://openai.com/news/) ChatGPT Ads expands to Southeast Asia and Taiwan — cover [ChatGPT Ads expands to Southeast Asia and Taiwan ProductSep 23, 2026](https://openai.com/index/chatgpt-ads-expands-southeast-asia-taiwan/) Better prompt caching for GPT-6 — Card image [Better prompt caching for GPT-6 ProductSep 22, 2026](https://openai.com/index/better-prompt-caching-for-gpt-6/) Introducing GPT-6 Sol and Luna — Art card [Introducing GPT-6 Sol and Luna ProductSep 22, 2026](https://openai.com/index/introducing-gpt-6-sol-and-luna/)	OpenAI	—	—
🟧 hn	Advertising is coming to AI chatbots, and it could influence the answers you get	mdp2021	2	1

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🟧 openai ⭐

Reimagining advertising with AI

Retrieved article excerpt

Open article · Retrieved 2026-09-24T09:21:28.762884+00:00

September 16, 2026

[Product](https://openai.com/news/product-releases/)

# Reimagining advertising with AI

Introducing new AI-powered experiences for ChatGPT Ads.

Get started

Loading…

Today, we’re introducing new AI-powered experiences to make ads more useful for people and advertising easier for businesses.

We’re testing Sponsored Agents, which let people start a conversation with a business-sponsored agent after clicking an ad in ChatGPT. We are making it easier to create ads by simply writing a few prompts in ChatGPT Work. At the same time, we are making Ads Manager more powerful with new AI creative tools. Finally, new integrations with HubSpot, our first CRM partner, and Shopify, our first ecommerce partner, are bringing ChatGPT Ads into the tools businesses already use.

Throughout this work, our [ads principles](https://openai.com/index/our-approach-to-advertising-and-expanding-access/) remain unchanged, and protecting the trust people place in ChatGPT remains our North Star.

Together, these updates represent the next step in building our AI-based advertising platform.

## Being part of the AI conversation

Ads in ChatGPT help people find what they’re looking for or discover something they hadn’t considered. But seeing an interesting product or service is often just the beginning. A shopper might be curious about a dining table they see in an ad but have questions about whether it fits their space, how many people it seats, or how to care for its finish.

Sponsored Agents give users the option to go deeper. After seeing a relevant ad, a user can choose to start a clearly labeled conversation with a business-sponsored agent in ChatGPT. The user can explain what matters to them, ask follow-up questions, and follow a link to the business’s website when they’re ready to take the next step.

For users, this can make it easier to understand whether a product or service is the right fit. For businesses, it’s an opportunity to help interested customers explore their offerings through a personalized conversation. The conversation with a Sponsored Agent is distinct from ChatGPT’s independent answers and separate from the original conversation that the user started in ChatGPT.

Sponsored Agents are now being tested with select advertisers in the United States.

## Putting AI to work for marketers

AI also opens new possibilities for how the work of advertising gets done. Many of the tasks involved in building and managing campaigns, from translating a brief into an ad to analyzing performance, can take significant time. Today, we’re rolling out new tools that make it easier for advertisers to use AI for ads management. Advertisers can now use simple, natural-language prompts to create, update, and analyze campaigns directly in ChatGPT with the Ads Manager plugin. They can turn a website or brief into a campaign, understand performance, and get recommendations on what to do next.

We’re also rolling out AI assistance directly into Ads Manager to help advertisers create ads. When drafting an ad, advertisers can now receive suggested copy and imagery based on their landing page and campaign objective. Advertisers remain in control: they can review and edit suggestions before choosing whether to add them to a campaign.

We’re also launching the ability to opt into AI-powered text customization. If enabled, it adapts an advertiser’s existing headlines and descriptions to better fit the context of a conversation and automatically translates ad copy to a user’s preferred language.

## Bringing new AI possibilities to existing marketing tools

Adopting a new advertising channel shouldn’t require businesses to rebuild the way they work. That’s why we’re integrating ChatGPT Ads into HubSpot and Shopify as our first CRM and ecommerce partners.

Starting today, businesses managing their customers in HubSpot can connect a [ChatGPT Ads account⁠(opens in a new window)](https://hubs.la/Q04tW3sT0), create ads, track performance, and follow up on leads directly in HubSpot powered by their HubSpot context.

Also available today, US-based Shopify merchants can use the new [ChatGPT Ads app⁠(opens in a new window)](https://apps.shopify.com/chatgptads) in the Shopify App Store to create and manage ChatGPT ad campaigns. Products are already integrated through Shopify Catalog, so merchants can start running these ads and tracking performance right away. The app will be available internationally in markets where ChatGPT Ads are available starting September 23.

## Building an AI-powered advertising platform

As people increasingly turn to AI to discover products, compare options, and make decisions, we’re creating new ways for people and businesses to connect. That means reimagining both sides of advertising: how people engage with businesses in an AI-native environment and how businesses use AI to create and manage their ads.

Together, these launches reflect how we’re building an advertising platform with AI at its center: new ad experiences that make advertising more helpful for people and AI tools that let businesses spend less time on process and more time growing their business.

Businesses can sign up at [ads.openai.com⁠(opens in a new window)](https://ads.openai.com). Eligible businesses can also get started through the [ChatGPT Ads for Shopify app⁠(opens in a new window)](https://apps.shopify.com/chatgptads) or the [ChatGPT Ads in HubSpot app⁠(opens in a new window)](https://hubs.la/Q04tW3sT0).

- [2026](https://openai.com/news/?tags=2026)
- [ChatGPT](https://openai.com/news/?tags=chatgpt)

## Author

OpenAI

## Keep reading

[View all](https://openai.com/news/)

ChatGPT Ads expands to Southeast Asia and Taiwan — cover

[ChatGPT Ads expands to Southeast Asia and Taiwan

ProductSep 23, 2026](https://openai.com/index/chatgpt-ads-expands-southeast-asia-taiwan/)

Better prompt caching for GPT-6 — Card image

[Better prompt caching for GPT-6

ProductSep 22, 2026](https://openai.com/index/better-prompt-caching-for-gpt-6/)

Introducing GPT-6 Sol and Luna — Art card

[Introducing GPT-6 Sol and Luna

ProductSep 22, 2026](https://openai.com/index/introducing-gpt-6-sol-and-luna/)

OpenAI

—

🟧 hn

Advertising is coming to AI chatbots, and it could influence the answers you get

mdp2021

Interpretation history

2026-09-24T09:26:33Z
The refetched OpenAI page converts the case from a partially unverified claim into a confirmed announcement: full text verifies the US Sponsored Agents test, the Ads Manager plugin for natural-language campaign management, HubSpot as first CRM partner, and a live Shopify app for US merchants, and the page's follow-on item shows the promised September 23 international expansion shipped on schedule. The episode's claim is now established; adoption, effectiveness, and answer-influence questions remain open but belong to the broader ChatGPT-ads trajectory already tracked by sibling radar cases.
2026-09-18T21:07:25Z
The attached HN discussion supplies neither independent confirmation of the rollout nor evidence that ads influence ChatGPT’s answers. The concrete signal remains OpenAI’s bounded Sponsored Agents test and announced campaign-management integrations, not demonstrated adoption or answer contamination.
2026-09-18T20:22:41Z
evidence attached: hn.story.49758974 — The report materially contextualizes the developing shift toward advertising inside conversational AI and possible answer-influence risks.
2026-09-17T10:38:04Z
grounded: known/low — Scott already frames AI-controlled discovery as AI-Mediated Disruption and advertiser–user incentive conflicts through Shadow Principal; the radar also tracks C
2026-09-17T10:35:16Z
case created — A first-party announcement establishes a bounded agent-distribution test and available integrations, rather than merely forecasting an advertising business.

Decision trace

09-24 19:26resolveThe refetched OpenAI page converts the case from a partially unverified claim into a confirmed announcement: full text verifies the US Sponsored Agents test, the Ads Manager plugin for natural-languag
09-24 19:22sensor_dirtymaterial first-party article revision
09-19 07:07repriceThe attached HN discussion supplies neither independent confirmation of the rollout nor evidence that ads influence ChatGPT’s answers. The concrete signal remains OpenAI’s bounded Sponsored Agents tes
09-19 06:22attachThe report materially contextualizes the developing shift toward advertising inside conversational AI and possible answer-influence risks.
09-19 06:22propose_attachThe report materially contextualizes the developing shift toward advertising inside conversational AI and possible answer-influence risks.
09-17 20:38groundScott already frames AI-controlled discovery as AI-Mediated Disruption and advertiser–user incentive conflicts through Shadow Principal; the radar also tracks ChatGPT advertising in “OpenAI will intro
09-17 20:35createA first-party announcement establishes a bounded agent-distribution test and available integrations, rather than merely forecasting an advertising business.