OpenAI Teams Up with Smartly to Create Chatty Ads Inside ChatGPT

OpenAI has partnered with Helsinki-based firm Smartly to create interactive, chat-like ads inside ChatGPT. The goal is to make sponsored content feel more like natural conversations and help brands stay relevant. This move also supports OpenAI’s push into advertising, especially as its U.S. pilot program has grown quickly.

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Smartly to Optimize Real-Time ChatGPT Ads for Brands

Smartly, led by industry veteran Laura Desmond, has generated roughly $101 million in revenue in 2025 and is valued at about $300 million. The company already helps brands run ad campaigns across platforms, including Meta Platforms META -1.39% ▼ , Google GOOGL -0.80% ▼ , TikTok, and Snapchat.

Inside ChatGPT, Smartly will adjust messages in real time based on how users interact with the conversational ads. Early tests involve entertainment, retail, and sports brands trying ads that can change as users converse with them. Over time, the goal is to build fully interactive ads that mirror ChatGPT’s interface and guide users step by step as they discover and buy products.

OpenAI Expands ChatGPT Ad Infrastructure as Commerce Strategy Grows

The Smartly partnership is part of OpenAI’s larger plan to build a scalable ad ecosystem inside ChatGPT. Earlier this year, the company also partnered with Criteo CRTO -0.92% ▼ , connecting about 17,000 advertisers to early ad spaces in ChatGPT’s Free and $8 Go subscription plans.

According to sources, OpenAI’s U.S. ad pilot also crossed $100 million in annual revenue within six weeks, showing how quickly ad demand is growing. The company has strengthened its position in the ad space by hiring former Meta executive David Dugan to lead its team under COO Brad Lightcap.

If successful, conversational ads could change how brands connect with users inside AI assistants by linking product discovery with real-time conversations. This could transform online ads beyond the search and social models created by Google and Meta. On the flip side, bringing ads inside chat interfaces could raise trust issues. This is why Desmond has said they will introduce this new feature gradually.

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