What is today still seen as a helpful assistant could soon become the next Google—at least if OpenAI’s vision plays out. By gradually transforming ChatGPT into an interactive commerce and advertising platform, the company is laying the groundwork for a new kind of digital monetisation. Ads, as envisioned by OpenAI, won’t look like traditional banners—they’ll feel like part of the conversation.
Initial testing is already underway. When prompted with relevant queries, ChatGPT now suggests products, services or booking options—subtly integrated, clearly marked, but hardly intrusive. This is powered by the so-called Agentic Commerce Protocol, which enables users to buy a trip, a software subscription or a product directly within the chat—without leaving the interface. Payments are handled via integrated partners like PayPal, Shopify or Stripe, with OpenAI earning through transaction fees.
What’s striking is the disappearance of traditional ad slots. Experts are instead talking about contextual recommendations, sponsored responses, or embedded brand agents—like a Target shopping assistant or a Salesforce CRM bot that appears mid-conversation.
While no self-serve ad platform exists yet, agencies are already preparing. The industry sees enormous potential. Market observers predict that OpenAI could generate tens of billions in advertising revenue by the end of the decade—positioning ChatGPT as a central point of interaction for research, commerce and conversion.
Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, has firmly rejected pay-to-rank models, arguing they undermine user trust. Ads, according to OpenAI’s vision, should be useful—not invasive. The guiding principle remains: deliver the best answer first. Monetisation comes after, transparently and based on relevance rather than budget.
For marketers, this presents new opportunities—and new rules. While traditional search ads are keyword-based, ChatGPT builds decisions differently: what gets recommended is up to the model’s understanding. Relevance matters, not just ad spend. Brands will need more than visibility—they’ll need to make sense in context.
Still, concerns remain. Privacy advocates and industry analysts question how neutral these recommendations can truly be. How independent will ChatGPT stay if brands introduce their own agents into the interface? And how clearly will sponsored suggestions be labelled?
What’s clear is this: advertising in ChatGPT isn’t an afterthought—it’s part of a fundamental shift. Away from search results, towards dialogue. Away from the click, towards decisions made mid-conversation. The model is still evolving, but the direction is unmistakable: ChatGPT won’t just answer. It will sell.
