OpenAI is stepping up its push into the advertising sector, exploring how its artificial intelligence can reshape ad targeting and consumer interactions.

On Wednesday, the company rolled out a suite of AI-driven tools for marketers and kicked off testing for its new "Sponsored Agents" feature, as reported by Bloomberg. This lets users click on ads within ChatGPT and engage in a dialogue with a company's AI agent, with the option to then visit the advertiser's website.

Alongside this launch, OpenAI announced new integrations with customer relationship management platform HubSpot and e-commerce company Shopify. HubSpot is now the first CRM partner for OpenAI's advertising platform, while Shopify comes aboard as its first e-commerce partner. Starting September 23, the Shopify app will roll out across international markets where ChatGPT ads are available.

Getting Started with AI Agents and Ad Tools

The Sponsored Agents feature allows users to interact with a brand's AI agent directly inside the ChatGPT interface. OpenAI has stated that these agents will be clearly labeled and will remain separate from ChatGPT's own responses and a user's active chat history. Pilot testing is currently underway with a select group of U.S. advertisers.

For advertisers, OpenAI has introduced Ads Manager, a tool that lets users create, update, and analyze ad campaigns through natural language commands. Marketers can also input their website content or a marketing brief, letting the AI generate complete ad proposals, including recommended copy and image pairings based on landing page details and campaign objectives.

Ads Manager also provides performance reporting and optimization tips. An optional AI text customization feature can tailor ad headlines and descriptions to fit the context of a conversation, and it translates the copy into the user's preferred language.

On the partnership front, HubSpot and Shopify bring CRM and e-commerce capabilities to the table. With the arrival of the Shopify app, OpenAI is positioning its advertising tools to extend further into the online retail marketing space.