Advertising in ChatGPT is starting to become conversational. On 16 September 2026, OpenAI announced it was trialling Sponsored Agents: after clicking on an advert in ChatGPT, a user can choose to open a separate conversation with an agent sponsored by the company. Rather than simply redirecting to a product page, the advert can therefore answer questions before the user decides to proceed to the brand’s website.
For creators, consultants, coaches, freelancers and small businesses, the key takeaway is not that you should start buying adverts on ChatGPT straight away. The Sponsored Agents format is still a test with a selection of advertisers in the United States. The issue runs deeper: if this approach becomes widespread, part of the customer journey could begin directly in a conversation with an AI.
Information verified on 18 September 2026. OpenAI clearly distinguishes between features that are already available and those still being tested. Sponsored Agents are not currently rolled out globally.
What OpenAI actually announced on 16 September
OpenAI has unveiled several new features for its ChatGPT Ads platform. The latest is the trial of Sponsored Agents. When a user sees a relevant advert and chooses to click on it, they can start a conversation – clearly identified as sponsored – with an agent from the company.
OpenAI gives a simple example: someone interested in a table can ask the agent whether the piece is suitable for the size of their room, how many people it can seat, or how to care for its finish. When they are ready, they can proceed to the advertiser’s website.
This sponsored conversation remains separate from ChatGPT’s independent response and the user’s initial conversation. This point is crucial: OpenAI does not present the Sponsored Agent as a brand taking control of ChatGPT’s response, but as a separate advertising experience that the user chooses to open.
At the same time, OpenAI is adding AI tools to make it easier to create campaigns and creative assets. The company has also announced two major integrations: HubSpot has become its first CRM partner for ChatGPT Ads, and Shopify its first e-commerce partner. In the US, Shopify merchants can connect their catalogue and create campaigns via a dedicated app. OpenAI states that this Shopify integration is set to expand to other eligible markets from 23 September 2026.
We must therefore distinguish between three levels: ChatGPT Ads is already available in several markets; tools for advertisers and certain integrations are available or currently being rolled out; Sponsored Agents, however, remain in a limited trial phase.
Why an interactive advert makes a bigger difference than a new advert format
A traditional advert generally aims to prompt immediate action: clicking, visiting a page, filling in a form or making a purchase. It must be persuasive within a limited space and then direct the visitor to a landing page designed to answer any remaining questions.
A sponsored agent introduces an intermediate step. The user can express their need in their own words and ask questions before leaving the conversational environment.
For a service-based business, this is particularly useful. A prospective customer’s problem isn’t always a lack of information. They may hesitate because they’re unsure whether the offer is precisely suited to their situation. A conversation can, in theory, reduce this uncertainty by explaining the differences between two services, the prerequisites, how they work or the next step.
The viewpoint VIFLY is as follows: The next battle in digital marketing will not only be about the ability to be visible to an AI, but about the quality of the experience offered when the AI turns that visibility into a conversation.
This shifts the sequence from visibility → understanding → trust → action → opportunity. Until now, much effort has been focused on the first step: appearing in Google, Instagram, TikTok or an AI response. Conversational interfaces could bring understanding and action much closer together.
Two practical examples to illustrate the potential impact
A consultant no longer just sells a service page
Let’s imagine a consultant who helps small businesses with their content strategy. Someone asks ChatGPT how to structure their communications on a limited budget and sees an advert relevant to the consultant’s services.
In a traditional advertising model, clicking opens a landing page. The visitor must read through the text and decide for themselves whether the service is right for their business.
With a Sponsored Agent, the prospective client might first ask: ‘Is this suitable for a three-person business?’, ‘Do you also work with LinkedIn?’ or ‘How does this differ from a standard training course?’. If the agent is properly designed and fed with reliable information, it can clear up certain ambiguities before directing the prospect to the website.
The destination remains essential, however. Following the conversation, a well-structured website allows visitors to find out who the consultant is, what her approach is and what services she offers. A LinkHub VIFLY can bring these elements together and, when human interaction becomes relevant, VIFLY Booking could be the next step in booking an appointment.
A trainer must learn to prepare responses, not just announcements
Let’s take the example of a trainer offering artificial intelligence workshops to micro-businesses. A traditional advert might highlight a promise such as ‘Train your team in AI in just one day’.
However, prospective clients often have more specific questions: required level, confidentiality, tools used, number of participants, suitability for the role, or support following the training.
In conversational advertising, the quality of the sales interaction therefore also depends on the quality of the information the agent is able to provide. If the offers are poorly documented, the terms ambiguous or the responses inconsistent, adding AI solves nothing: it simply makes the problem interactive.
For this trainer, the strategic work therefore involves documenting frequently asked questions, the limitations of their offering, relevant use cases and situations where human intervention is required. This work can also help improve their website, its content and the articles published on their own platform or on the blog VIFLY.
What this means for content and visibility in AI systems
Sponsored Agents are part of the advertising sector. They should not be confused with a company’s organic visibility in an AI-generated response.
This distinction is fundamental. Being cited organically by an AI because content is relevant and appearing in a sponsored slot are two different mechanisms. A sound strategy should not treat advertising as a substitute for useful content.
On the contrary, the arrival of sales representatives increases the value of structured information. To respond effectively, a company must be able to explain what it sells, to whom, under what conditions, with what limitations, and what the next step is.
This is also a lesson in GEO – that is, optimising content so that it can be more easily understood and utilised by search engines and generative assistants. It is not a question of cramming a page full of phrases intended for robots. It is about producing information that is explicit, verifiable, consistent and sufficiently precise to answer a user’s actual questions.
For a freelancer, this means working on service pages, FAQs, examples, pricing (where applicable), terms and conditions, the differences between services, and proof of expertise. The main page of VIFLY illustrates this concept of a structured online presence: social media and search engines may drive traffic to your site, but the site itself must enable visitors to quickly understand who you are and what you offer.
Nuances and points to bear in mind before talking about a revolution
First point: Sponsored Agents is a test. OpenAI states that it is working with a select group of advertisers in the United States. As of 18 September 2026, there is no indication that all US advertisers can create their own sponsored agent or that a launch in France is imminent.
Second point: ChatGPT Ads and Sponsored Agents are not the same thing. ChatGPT advertising has already been rolled out to several markets during 2026, whilst this new conversational format has its own testing scope. We must avoid framing the announcement as ‘advertising agents are arriving in France today’: that would be inaccurate.
Third point to bear in mind: a sponsored conversation must remain identifiable as such. OpenAI emphasises that it must be clearly labelled and distinct from ChatGPT’s independent responses. For both users and brands, this distinction is essential to building trust.
Fourth limitation: a commercial AI system can deliver a seamless experience whilst still providing an incorrect answer if the information supplied by the company is incomplete, out of date or contradictory. A brand will therefore need to treat knowledge governance as a marketing issue: who validates the responses, how are prices updated, which promises are prohibited, and when should the agent hand over to a human?
Finally, OpenAI did not include in its announcement all the details needed to carry out an economic assessment of Sponsored Agents: specific pricing, average performance, conversion rates or detailed optimisation rules. It is therefore too early to recommend that a small business shift its advertising budget towards this format.
What to do next? The VIFLY action plan
- Do not change your budget based on the advert. The format is still experimental and limited. Keep an eye on its actual launch in your market before planning any investment.
- Map out the questions before making a purchase. Take note of the ten questions a prospective customer actually asks before booking, requesting a quote or making a purchase. This document will be useful whether or not you use an AI agent.
- Clarify your offers. Check that your pages explain the target audience, the expected outcome, how it works, its limitations and the next step.
- Plan your destination. An advertising conversation is only valuable if the user journey remains consistent after the click. Centralise the key information and offer a clear call to action.
- Measure intent, not just traffic. If Sponsored Agents become available, monitor qualified conversations, site visits, enquiries and bookings rather than judging solely on the basis of impressions.
- Prepare a rule for switching to human mode. An AI should not improvise when dealing with a sensitive situation, a contractual promise or a case it does not understand. Define the situations in which it must refer the matter to a person.
For a consultancy, coaching or training business, the logical flow can be straightforward: discovery via an assistant → understanding the service offering → checking the client’s profile and resources → booking an appointment. VIFLY specifically enables you to structure this part of the journey using LinkHub and VIFLY Booking, without relying on a single social media platform or AI interface.
Conversational advertising signals, above all, a shift in expertise
Perhaps the most important issue is not advertising. It is the gradual transformation of the interface between a business and its future customer.
When an advert becomes capable of responding, marketing is no longer just about writing a headline that gets a click. You also need to prepare for the conversation that follows.
Businesses with easy-to-understand offerings, reliable content, a genuinely useful FAQ section and a consistent conversion journey have a head start. Conversely, those whose information is scattered or contradictory may find that a chatbot amplifies their organisation’s weaknesses just as much as its strengths.
For creators and freelancers, there is therefore no need to wait for Sponsored Agents to launch before taking action. The work to be done today is already worthwhile: making your creator business understandable to a human in a matter of seconds and structured enough so that, in the future, an AI can explain it without having to invent it.
This is probably where the real significance of OpenAI’s announcement lies: following the battle to be found in search engines and then recommended by voice assistants, a new phase is taking shape. You’ll also need to know how to turn a conversation into trust, and then trust into action.
FAQ on ChatGPT’s Sponsored Agents
What is a Sponsored Agent in ChatGPT?
This is a corporate-sponsored agent with whom a user can choose to chat after clicking on an advert in ChatGPT. OpenAI states that this conversation is clearly identified as sponsored and distinct from ChatGPT’s independent response.
Are Sponsored Agents available in France?
No, not as a format generally available as of 18 September 2026. OpenAI states that it is testing Sponsored Agents with a selection of advertisers in the United States. This test should not be confused with the wider availability of ChatGPT Ads.
Can a company purchase a Sponsored Agent today?
OpenAI has not announced a general roll-out of the format. This is a trial involving selected advertisers. The detailed commercial terms of the format are not published in the announcement.
Do Sponsored Agents alter ChatGPT’s normal responses?
OpenAI presents the sponsored conversation as a separate, clearly labelled experience that the user chooses to open after clicking on an advert. It is distinct from ChatGPT’s independent response.
Why is this relevant to a freelancer who doesn’t advertise?
Because conversational logic reinforces the importance of structured offers and content. Documenting customer queries, limitations, evidence and next steps already improves the website, SEO, visibility in AI systems and conversion rates.
Sources
- OpenAI: Reimagining advertising with AI, 16 September 2026 : official announcement of Sponsored Agents, AI advertising tools and HubSpot and Shopify integrations.
- OpenAI: Testing adverts in ChatGPT : official timeline of the ChatGPT Ads roll-out and how it differs from the new Sponsored Agents trial.
- Reuters: OpenAI tests advertiser-sponsored agents, 16 September 2026 : confirmation, independent of the advert and its placement.