ChatGPT tests ads where you can chat with companies

OpenAI has launched several new features for ads in ChatGPT. The most significant is so-called sponsored agents, which were presented on September 16. In this context, an agent is an AI program that can answer questions and help with a task on behalf of a company.

Concretely, it works like this: if a user clicks on an ad in ChatGPT, they can choose to continue in a conversation that is clearly labeled as sponsored. Here, you can say what you're looking for, ask follow-up questions and finally click through to the company's website. The conversation is kept separate from ChatGPT's ordinary, independent answers.

For now, the feature is being tested only with selected advertisers in the US. OpenAI has not said whether or when it will come to more countries, including Denmark.

New tools for advertisers

At the same time, companies that want to advertise are getting new tools. In the professional version of ChatGPT, they can now write ordinary messages to create, update and track their ad campaigns. The system that manages the ads has also gained new AI features that can suggest text and images for an ad based on the company's website and goals. The company still has to approve the suggestions itself before they are shown, though.

OpenAI is also launching its first integrations with other systems that companies already use. HubSpot, a popular system for keeping track of customers, is the first partner. Shopify, which many online stores use to run their webshop, is the second. From September 16, HubSpot customers can create and track their ChatGPT ads directly in their own system. Shopify merchants in the US got access to a similar solution the same day, and from September 23 it expands to more countries.

What it means for Denmark

That includes Denmark, where ads in ChatGPT already exist. The system was rolled out to 31 European countries, including Denmark, on August 24. Since August 31, Danish companies have been able to create an ad account directly, without going through an ad agency. Whether the new HubSpot and Shopify solutions actually work for Danish companies from September 23 isn't entirely clear from OpenAI's own post, but Denmark is among the countries the features are expanding to.

For you as an ordinary user, nothing changes if you pay for ChatGPT. The ads are shown only to those who use the free version or the cheap Go subscription. If you pay for Plus, Pro, Business or Enterprise, you see no ads. Free users can also choose a version with fewer ads, but in return they get to send fewer messages a day.

OpenAI has not disclosed prices for the new features. But the company says the entire ChatGPT advertising business was, by the end of August, bringing in money at a pace equivalent to about $1 billion a year if it continues at the same rate.

Interested companies can create an account on OpenAI's advertiser website, connect it via HubSpot or download the new Shopify app, depending on which systems they already use.

What it means for you

If you use ChatGPT for free or with the Go subscription, you may soon encounter ads where you chat directly with a company instead of just seeing an ad. If you pay for Plus, Pro, Business or Enterprise, you won't notice any difference, since you don't see ads. If you have a company, you can already create an ad account with OpenAI, and if you use HubSpot or Shopify, you'll soon be able to manage your ChatGPT ads directly from there.