ChatGPT Sponsored Agents are interactive doorways within OpenAI where a static ad transforms into a welcoming, brand-dedicated conversational guide.
OpenAI announced Sponsored Agents on September 16, 2026. It is an advertising feature that allows the user to start a conversation with a sponsored AI agent after coming across an ad on ChatGPT. The user can ask questions regarding the products/services of the business, and once they are ready they can click on the link of the business.
Sponsored Agents are currently in the early stages of development. According to OpenAI, Sponsored Agents are being tested by a small group of US advertisers at present.
Here are seven things you need to know.
Table of Contents
What are ChatGPT Sponsored Agents?
ChatGPT Sponsored Agents are an advertising technique that allows users to talk to an AI-powered agent who represents a company on the ChatGPT network.
The process begins when an advertiser’s ad is served to a user.
After seeing a relevant ad, the user can choose to start a conversation with a sponsored agent.
At that point, the user can state their needs and ask questions about the products or services of the advertiser. Once the user is ready to continue, they can visit the company’s website via the link provided.
The basic journey is:
ChatGPT Conversation → Ad → Sponsored Agent → Website
The Sponsored Agent is thus different from an ad that leads the user only to a landing page.
A simple example
Imagine a business is looking for a CRM Platform to manage its sales pipeline and customer relationships.They ask ChatGPT for recommendations and then see an ad for the CRM platform on ChatGPT.
Without leaving ChatGPT, the business could choose to communicate with the Sponsored Agent and ask questions like:
- Does this CRM integrate with our existing tools?
- Can it automate lead follow-ups?
- Does it support multiple sales pipelines?
- What features are included in the plan?
- Is it suitable for small or growing businesses?
Once the Sponsored Agent has answered these questions, the business can decide whether to continue the conversation, compare it against other options, or click through to the CRM provider’s website to sign up or learn more.
How do ChatGPT Sponsored Agents work?
The ChatGPT Sponsored Agent adds a conversational step to the advertising journey.
Step 1: A user is using ChatGPT
A user may be having a conversation with ChatGPT and researching a product, comparing options and trying to decide what to buy.
Step 2: A relevant ad appears
ChatGPT Ads are designed in a way to appear in relevant conversational context.
According to OpenAI, the ad system makes use of signals like the context and intent of the current conversation, the ad landing page, the ad title and content, and contextual hints provided by the advertiser. In addition, when ad personalization is turned on, other signals collected from the user’s experience of ChatGPT can also be used.
Step 3: The user chooses the Sponsored Agent
After seeing a relevant ad, the user can choose to have a conversation with the sponsored agent.
Step 4: The user asks questions
The user can explain what matters to them and ask questions about the advertiser’s product or service.
Current ChatGPT Ads Vs ChatGPT Sponsored Agents
Think of OpenAI’s ecosystem as a high-tech marketplace. In this marketplace ChatGPT Sponsored Agents and ChatGPT Ads are two entirely different types of storefronts trying to catch your attention.
ChatGPT Sponsored Agents and ChatGPT Ads are not the same.
Let’s understand them with the help of the table below:
| Feature | Current ChatGPT ads | ChatGPT Sponsored Agents |
| Where it appears | Displayed below ChatGPT responses for users on Free and Go plans | Appears as an ad with a call-to-action such as “Chat with us” |
| What happens when the user clicks | Takes the users to the advertiser’s selected destination | Opens a branded conversation with the advertiser’s AI agent within ChatGPT |
| Who has access | Ads Manager is available for self-service in some markets, while other markets use partner access | Limited to selected clients, OpenAI has not disclosed the number |
| Advertisers publicly verified | Several advertisers have been identified, including Delta vacations through Amazon DSP pilot | Wayfair, Angi, Newegg, Best Buy, Lowe’s, and VistaPrint have been identified as Sponsored Agents pilot participants, per multiple industry reports |
| Pricing and measurement | OpenAI’s Help Center documents bidding strategies, daily budget controls, and CPC/CPM pricing guidance, with no minimum spend requirement | Pricing and management details have not been publicly reported |
According to OpenAI, Sponsored Agents represent a new type of ad that has arisen from its ChatGPT Ads system.
One more distinction
A Sponsored Agent conversation is not the same as ChatGPT’s normal answers.
According to OpenAI, the Sponsored Agent conversation is different from the autonomous replies provided by ChatGPT and not related to the first conversation started by the user on ChatGPT.
The distinction here is important since a business-driven exchange cannot be confused with the independent ChatGPT reaction.
What can users do with Sponsored Agents?
OpenAI presently states that the user can use a Sponsored Agent to examine the offer of the advertiser by conversation.
The user is allowed to:
- Ask questions about products or services
- Describe their needs
- Ask additional questions
- Evaluate the relevance of the offer to their needs
- Keep the conversation until they reach the next step
- Click on the link to the advertiser’s website
Who can use ChatGPT Sponsored Agents?
This is a key factual detail about the product in 2026.
Currently, ChatGPT Sponsored Agents are not available to all advertisers.
As per OpenAI’s Help Center, Sponsored Agents can be used only by a few select advertisers in an alpha testing phase.
As per OpenAI’s announcement of September 16, the testing involves select advertisers in the US.
Moreover, OpenAI has stated that some advertisers might find Sponsored Agents in ChatGPT while using it even if the format is not available to them personally.
At present, OpenAI’s Help Center says that requests for early access are not being entertained at the moment.
What Did OpenAI Change in September 2026?
Sponsored Agents are only one part of OpenAI’s latest advertising changes.
On September 16, 2026, OpenAI introduced a number of AI-driven advertising solutions.
Advertisers can use simple natural-language prompts to create, update, and analyze campaigns directly in ChatGPT with the Ads Manager plugin. If you’re new to the platform, our full guide to ChatGPT Ads Manager walks through setup and campaign basics.
According to OpenAI, advertisers can turn a website or brief into a campaign, understand campaign performance, and receive recommendations about what to do next.
For marketers, this introduces a more conversational way to manage advertising campaigns.
AI assistance for ad creative
OpenAI is also adding AI assistance directly to Ads Manager.
Advertisers can receive suggested:
- Ad copy
- Imagery
The suggestions can be based on the advertiser’s landing page and campaign objective.
Advertisers can review and edit those suggestions before using them.
AI-powered text customization
Advertisers are free to allow for AI-based text personalization.
Once activated, OpenAI suggests that the technology will be able to change current headlines and descriptions, making them better suited to the context of conversation.
It will also be able to automatically translate ad copy in the language that the user prefers.
This will make advertising campaigns more relevant for users visiting an advertiser’s website.
HubSpot integration
OpenAI announced HubSpot as its first CRM partner for ChatGPT Ads, positioning the move as a way for businesses to bring AI into their existing workflow rather than rebuilding it from scratch. Brian Landsman, OpenAI’s VP of Global Partnerships, described the goal as helping teams do more with the customer knowledge they already have in HubSpot by connecting it directly to ChatGPT.
Businesses using HubSpot have the ability to connect their ChatGPT Ads account, create ads, track performance, and pursue leads through the HubSpot environment.
For B2B companies in the U.S., such an integration will allow for streamlining ChatGPT Ads’ integration with existing lead management practices.
Shopify integration
US-based Shopify merchants can use the ChatGPT Ads app to connect product catalogs and measurement tools with ChatGPT Ads. OpenAI says the app will launch internationally on September 23, 2026, in markets where ChatGPT Ads are available.
As these AI-powered tools expand, some businesses may prefer to work with a specialist. Here’s our breakdown of the top ChatGPT Ads agencies in the US if you’re weighing that option.
What Do ChatGPT Sponsored Agents Mean for Businesses?
Sponsored Agents present an intermediate step between advertising and the business website.
Traditional advertising generally takes the following form:
Ad → Website
With the use of Sponsored Agents, however, the process might be presented as:
Ad → Sponsored Agent → Website
The benefit of such an approach lies in the ability of the user to ask questions before leaving ChatGPT.
As for the business, the important thing is not that Sponsored Agents will replace websites and traditional ads. Instead, it should be noted that the sponsored agents will add conversational aspects to the advertising process.
A company’s website can still be the ultimate destination for users who would like to:
- Get more details
- Compare different products/plans
- Sign up
- Request information
- Make a purchase
The exact actions to be taken after using Sponsored Agents will depend on the website and the offerings of the advertiser.
Fleviko’s Take
Sponsored Agents could make the ChatGPT ads more conversational as they would allow people to ask questions before accessing the advertiser’s website.
Considering the marketing standpoint, it is possible to state that the significant change worth tracking is the one that took place from ad → click → website to ad → conversation → website.
Since Sponsored Agents are still at the restricted alpha stage, it is too early to conclude how many brands will use it and how conversion patterns might be affected by it. Now it is necessary for businesses to pay attention to OpenAI’s efforts in developing the format and how users interact with sponsored conversations.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are ChatGPT Sponsored Agents?
ChatGPT Sponsored Agents make up a form of ads where consumers can have a conversation with an AI spokesperson for a company after they are exposed to an ad in ChatGPT. Consumers can ask questions about the products or services of the advertiser, and they can also click on a hyperlink to the website of the company.
2. How do ChatGPT Sponsored Agents work?
The user is presented with a relevant ad on ChatGPT, starts a Sponsored Agent chat, requests information about the advertiser’s product or service, and then clicks through to the advertiser’s web page.
3. Are ChatGPT Sponsored Agents the same as ChatGPT Ads?
No, ChatGPT Ads represent the type of ads, while Sponsored Agents refer to a conversation offered by a company after engaging with an ad.
4. Are ChatGPT Sponsored Agents available to everyone?
No. According to OpenAI, Sponsored Agents are currently available to only a few advertisers in an alpha testing stage.
5. Where are ChatGPT Sponsored Agents available?
According to OpenAI, Sponsored Agents are currently being evaluated by some selected advertisers in the United States.
6. Can users ask questions to ChatGPT Sponsored Agents?
Yes. According to OpenAI, the user can ask the business about their products and services, tell them the things that matter to them, and then ask other questions.
7. Are Sponsored Agent conversations part of normal ChatGPT conversations?
No. According to OpenAI, the Sponsored Agent session is not the same as ChatGPT’s responses, nor is it the same as the chat started in ChatGPT.
8. Do advertisers see a user’s ChatGPT conversations?
According to OpenAI, advertisements do not give the advertisers any access to the users’ conversation through the ChatGPT interface. The advertisers only have access to the metrics regarding their advertisements, for example, clicks and impressions. But, in cases where an advertiser is involved in an interaction with a user, then the advertiser will be able to see the messages sent by the user.
