OpenAI on Wednesday began piloting Sponsored Agents, a format that lets a user click a ChatGPT ad and open a labeled conversation with a brand-built agent that answers questions and routes intent back to the advertiser. Reuters reports the pilot is running with select U.S. advertisers; Angi confirmed its participation in a GlobeNewswire release, and Forkast reports Wayfair is also among the early partners. OpenAI told Reuters the agents will be clearly labeled and kept separate from ChatGPT’s independent responses and the user’s original chat.

The distribution mechanics matter more than the format itself. HubSpot is the launch CRM partner: businesses can now connect a ChatGPT Ads account inside HubSpot to build campaigns, track performance, and follow up on leads. Shopify is the launch commerce partner, with a new ChatGPT Ads app for U.S. merchants that’s set to expand to other ChatGPT Ads markets on September 23. That follows ChatGPT Ads’ self-serve rollout in India, Europe and MENA earlier this month.

There’s a joint promotion attached. Per Quartz, the HubSpot AI Growth Bundle offers 65 percent off for one year on HubSpot Starter, buy-one-get-one ChatGPT Business seats, and a $750 match on ChatGPT Ads spend for new accounts opened by September 30.

“Putting AI to work shouldn’t require businesses to rebuild the way they work,” said Brian Landsman, vice president of global partnerships at OpenAI.

The commercial context is the point. OpenAI told PYMNTS its ad surface hit a $1 billion annualized run rate by August 31, part of the broader repricing of AI-search visibility now underway. Angi’s agent, for instance, will surface in home-services conversations and route homeowners into its existing service-request flow. The ad is no longer a link. It’s a sales conversation the advertiser scripts and the platform hosts.

Sources