OpenAI tests Sponsored Agents inside ChatGPT Ads

OpenAI said it is introducing new AI-powered experiences for ChatGPT Ads. The company is testing Sponsored Agents, which let people start a conversation with a business-sponsored agent after clicking an ad in ChatGPT. Those agent chats are clearly labeled and stay separate from ChatGPT’s own answers and the user’s original conversation. The test is with select advertisers in the United States. OpenAI also said advertisers can create ads with a few prompts in ChatGPT Work, that Ads Manager is getting new AI creative tools, and that HubSpot (first CRM partner) and Shopify (first ecommerce partner) now connect ChatGPT Ads into tools businesses already use. Shopify’s ChatGPT Ads app is available today for US merchants, with international rollout in ChatGPT Ads markets starting September 23 (company).

SOFTWARE desk — same-day primary that ChatGPT Ads is moving from static sponsored placements toward labeled advertiser agents inside the chat surface, with CRM/ecommerce plumbing — a concrete product step in how AI assistants monetize and how brands show up when people are deciding.

What the company says it is introducing: new AI-powered experiences for ChatGPT Ads. ChatGPT Ads are the sponsored placements that already show up inside ChatGPT. The headline change on the post is a test of Sponsored Agents. After clicking an ad in ChatGPT, a user can start a clearly labeled conversation with a business-sponsored agent. File that click-an-ad / labeled-agent-chat picture as OpenAI’s. This desk did not sit in that chat.

How the agent chat is supposed to stay distinct, still company: the Sponsored Agent conversation is clearly labeled. It is distinct from ChatGPT’s independent answers — the model’s own replies, not a paid pitch — and separate from the original conversation the user started. The user can explain what matters to them, ask follow-up questions, and follow a link to the business’s website when they are ready. File that labeled / separate-from-ChatGPT / separate-from-original-chat / follow-ups / website-link picture as OpenAI’s. Do not file this as ChatGPT itself selling the product.

Who gets the test, company: Sponsored Agents are being tested with select advertisers in the United States. File that US / select-advertiser test as OpenAI’s. This desk is not inventing a worldwide general-availability date, a public advertiser roster, or a claim that every ChatGPT user already sees a Sponsored Agent.

Ad-making tools on the same post, still company: advertisers can create ads by writing a few prompts in ChatGPT Work — OpenAI’s workplace ChatGPT plan. Ads Manager, the company’s dashboard for creating and running ChatGPT ads, is getting new AI creative tools. File those prompt-in-Work / Ads-Manager-AI-tools lines as OpenAI’s. This desk did not open Ads Manager or write a campaign prompt.

Partners named on the same post: HubSpot is OpenAI’s first CRM partner. CRM means customer relationship management — the software a company uses to keep track of customers and leads. Shopify is the first ecommerce partner. File those first-CRM / first-ecommerce labels as OpenAI’s. This desk is not ranking every ads vendor.

HubSpot, as the same post has it, starting today (company): HubSpot customers can connect a ChatGPT Ads account, create ads, track performance, and follow up on leads in HubSpot. File that connect / create / track / follow-up-in-HubSpot picture as OpenAI’s. This desk did not connect an account or sit on a lead.

Shopify, still company and starting today for U.S. merchants: US-based Shopify merchants can use a new ChatGPT Ads app in the Shopify App Store. Products are already integrated through Shopify Catalog, so merchants can start running these ads and tracking performance. The app will be available internationally in markets where ChatGPT Ads are available starting September 23. File that US-app-today / Catalog / international-from-Sep-23 picture as OpenAI’s. This desk did not install the app. Do not file September 23 as a Sponsored Agents worldwide launch.

Plain English for the rest of the card: Sponsored Agent = a clearly labeled chat run by a business that paid to appear after someone clicks its ad — not ChatGPT’s own answer. ChatGPT Ads = sponsored placements inside ChatGPT. ChatGPT Work = OpenAI’s workplace ChatGPT plan. Ads Manager = OpenAI’s dashboard for creating and running ChatGPT ads. CRM = customer relationship management, the software a company uses to keep track of customers and leads. HubSpot = OpenAI’s first CRM partner for ChatGPT Ads. Shopify Catalog = Shopify’s product catalog, already wired so merchants can run ChatGPT ads off their listings. select advertisers = a limited U.S. test group, not every advertiser and not worldwide general availability.

PRIMARY here: OpenAI’s 16 Sep 2026 index Product post “Reimagining advertising with AI” — Tier A PRIMARY company source, the original record. Reuters is same-day independent Tier B confirm of the Sponsored Agents test, the US select-advertiser limit, the HubSpot / Shopify partner labels, and the Ads Manager AI-tools line — not a substitute primary, and not a source for invented pricing or spend floors. The new AI-powered ChatGPT Ads experiences, the Sponsored Agents click-an-ad / labeled-agent-chat behavior, the distinct-from-ChatGPT / distinct-from-original-conversation split, follow-ups and the business-website link, the US select-advertiser test, ads-from-prompts in ChatGPT Work, new AI creative tools in Ads Manager, HubSpot as first CRM partner, Shopify as first ecommerce partner, HubSpot connect / create / track / follow-up, the US Shopify ChatGPT Ads app plus Catalog wiring, and the international ChatGPT Ads-market rollout starting September 23 are company-attributed. Product behavior stays company-attributed — not independently audited here. NOT claimed: ad pricing, a daily spend floor, that Sponsored Agents are generally available worldwide, a public advertiser roster, independently verified conversion rates, that this desk clicked an ad or tested a Sponsored Agent, a stock tip, or investment advice. Distinct from the already-filed openai-misalignment-reporting-framework, claude-cowork-chat-merge, mistral-mozilla-firefox-smart-window, openai-data-agent, openai-chatgpt-work-data-agent, openai-chatgpt-financial-services, and chatgpt-images-2-5.