AI Chatbots ads - what is your opinion?

[CPV Lab Pro]

Hey everyone,

As you probably found out, on January 16th OpenAI annouched they will be launching AI Chatbot ads inside chatGPT.

For now, AI chatbot ads aren’t live everywhere yet. But they’re definitely coming, and not in the way we’re used to.

Here is what we know so far from the top big players:
OpenAI officially announced they’re testing ads inside ChatGPT.
Microsoft Copilot ads are already running and showing high CTR and conversion rates.
Google says “no plans”, but they’re already running ad tests inside AI-powered search results (so we should wait for them to announce something soon)


This isn’t just a new banner or pop-up format.
It’s ads inside the chat. Integrated into AI responses. Shaped by what the user is asking, not just what keyword they typed. That’s huge.

We did some research and put together a whole article on our blog, but here are some of the important things:

What AI chatbot ads really are
They’re not like search or display. These show up inside answers. They read the conversation, understand the intent, and slide in a sponsored suggestion, like a product recommendation inside a reply.

What platforms are doing what

• OpenAI: Ads live soon for free users in the US
• Microsoft Copilot: Already live, with 73% higher CTR and 16% better conversions
• Google Gemini: Ads not in the app (yet), but active in “AI Mode” for Search with direct offer placements
• Perplexity: Was running experiments and stopped accepting new advertisers.

What’s excluded
No ads shown for users under 18
No ads for ChatGPT Plus, Pro, or Enterprise users
No sensitive stuff (politics, health, etc.)

Now, as a media buyer, this raises some questions, right?

• Are these going to be high-intent placements or just another distraction?
• Will we get targeting controls, or will it be “set it and hope”?
• How do you track or optimize a conversion that starts inside a chat

This could be the next traffic source. From different discussions inside communities it seems that the entry point to run chatbots ads will be very high... but we don't know for sure that.

You can check out the full breakdown, it covers also the AEO part and what should we pay attention in that area:
AI Chatbot Advertising: What Media Buyers Need to Know


But I’d love to know how do you see AI chat ads? Interested? Afraid? Scared?
Or just a shiny object for now?

 

[psychicsairam]

AI chatbots are powerful tools for ads, offering instant customer engagement, personalized responses, and 24/7 support. They boost conversions, improve user experience, and help businesses connect smarter, faster, and more efficiently.

 

[Graybeard]

The ads are going to be in the ChatGPT free and lowest tier subscription $8 /mo.
What do you expect for free? Amazon Prime Video has and now unless you upgrade.
So we have entered the realm of not so Freemium.

 

[John Blant]

As a media buyer, I’d say this: smells like money, but also like a black box
The intent there could be insane — the user is already asking, already close to buying. If AI really captures intent, this could be sweeter traffic than search. But without solid analytics and control, it can easily turn into “throw budget in and pray.”
I’d test it. Carefully, with small budgets. No blind hype, but no hate either.

 

[CPV Lab Pro]

As a media buyer, I’d say this: smells like money, but also like a black box
The intent there could be insane — the user is already asking, already close to buying. If AI really captures intent, this could be sweeter traffic than search. But without solid analytics and control, it can easily turn into “throw budget in and pray.”
I’d test it. Carefully, with small budgets. No blind hype, but no hate either.

Right, definitely the intent of the buyer is much higher.
And as you said, it depends on what type of analytics they will offer and how much flexibility.

But, there will be a new traffic source and a new way of promoting that we will explore.

 

[a777a]

a completely useless tool

 

[JupVPN]

Honestly, it sounds interesting. If ads appear inside relevant AI answers with strong user intent, it could perform even better than search but it will depend on the tools — targeting, tracking, and optimization. Without that, it might just become a black box for advertisers

 

[JonhShaffer]

Feels like early days hype mixed with real direction change.
The “ads inside answers” idea could work, but only if it’s clearly labeled and doesn’t break trust in the response. Otherwise people will just start distrusting the whole chatbot.
For media buying, it’s interesting, but I’d wait for real scale + transparent targeting/attribution before calling it a major channel. Right now it’s more “watch closely” than “shift budget.”

 

[peterdna]

Honestly, they feel like an inevitable buzzkill. While it makes sense that AI companies need to offset their massive computing costs, putting ads directly into conversational threads risks ruining the whole experience.