OpenAI is expanding ChatGPT Ads with a test of Sponsored Agents, new AI tools for campaign management, and integrations with HubSpot and Shopify. The September 16 update moves the ad product beyond displaying a sponsored item by letting some users choose to start a separate conversation with a business-sponsored agent after interacting with an ad.
OpenAI says Sponsored Agents are being tested with select advertisers in the United States. The company describes those conversations as clearly labeled, distinct from ChatGPT's independent answers and separate from the original conversation a user started.
Sponsored Agents turn an ad into an optional conversation
The idea is straightforward: after seeing a relevant ad, a user can choose to open a sponsored conversation and ask the business questions about its product or service. OpenAI says the agent can answer follow-up questions and direct the user to the business's website when appropriate.
That creates a new boundary users will need to recognize. A sponsored agent is speaking on behalf of an advertiser, not acting as the same neutral assistant that produced the surrounding ChatGPT answer. OpenAI says the experience will be labeled accordingly, and that separation is central to how the feature is being presented.
The test is limited, so it should not be described as something every ChatGPT user or advertiser has today.
Ads Manager is also becoming more conversational
On the advertiser side, OpenAI says businesses can use natural-language prompts to create, update and analyze campaigns through an Ads Manager plugin. The company is also adding AI-assisted copy and imagery suggestions inside Ads Manager, with advertisers retaining the ability to review and edit the proposed material.
An optional text-customization feature can adapt existing headlines and descriptions to the context of a conversation and translate copy to a user's preferred language. Again, these are tools for advertisers; they do not turn ordinary ChatGPT responses into sponsored copy.
OpenAI also named its first integrations in two adjacent business systems. HubSpot is the first CRM partner, allowing connected businesses to create ads, track performance and follow up on leads from HubSpot. Shopify is the first ecommerce partner, with a ChatGPT Ads app available to US-based Shopify merchants and an international launch planned for September 23 in markets where ChatGPT Ads are available.
OpenAI's product-release index places the advertising update among its September product launches, but the most consequential change for users is Sponsored Agents. It introduces a new kind of clearly commercial conversation inside ChatGPT.
The feature is still a test, and the company will ultimately be judged on whether the labeling and separation remain obvious in practice. For now, the confirmed change is narrower: some US ad interactions can lead to an optional sponsored agent, while businesses get more AI-assisted ways to create and manage campaigns.
This update is distinct from simply expanding the number of ads. It changes the interaction model after an ad has already been shown and clicked, and it changes the tooling available to advertisers. That distinction matters because an optional sponsored conversation raises different transparency questions from a static sponsored placement, particularly when the interface itself is conversational.
Reporting notes