OpenAI announced a new visual ad format. Testing begins later this month in the U.S. with an initial group of advertisers, starting during image generation in ChatGPT. The ads will be labeled and kept separate from the image. OpenAI says advertising will not influence ChatGPT’s answers.
That puts advertising next to a different kind of intent. Someone generating ideas for a living room may be working out what to buy. A useful assistant earns trust by helping with that decision. Ads can borrow some of that credibility simply by appearing nearby. Users need to understand what the assistant recommended and what an advertiser paid to put in front of them.
TikTok is pursuing a related opportunity. It announced Shopping Assistant for product questions and Buy Direct for checkout inside the app. The company is building these shopping experiences with partners including Shopify, Salesforce, and Stripe. The goal is to keep people moving from discovery through purchase without leaving the platform.
The question is whether these tools produce sales that would otherwise never happen. OpenAI is expanding its attribution partnerships and exploring experiments to measure incremental sales, while acknowledging that the work is still early.
As assistants get closer to purchase decisions, advertisers will need evidence of additional sales, and users will need a clear understanding of whose interests each part of the experience serves. It’s early days.
Every company needs a Claw strategy. Do you have one?
Author’s note: This is not a sponsored post. I am the author of this article and it expresses my own opinions. I am not, nor is my company, receiving compensation for it. This work was created with the assistance of various generative AI models.
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with AI strategy, implementation and governance, as well as technology, media and marketing. Named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices in Technology, he is a bestselling author, covers tech and business for Fox 5’s Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN, and writes the popular daily business blog Think About This. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.