📰 ChatGPT Ads and Meta Ads news

OpenAI emailed advertisers announcing bulk creation of product feed campaigns from a spreadsheet, a new product review status, and richer conversion data through the Insights API.

OpenAI is testing 'Sponsored Agents', a feature letting users start conversations with company agents directly from ads, alongside new AI-assisted ad creation tools in Ads Manager and integrations with HubSpot and Shopify.

Meta now lets brands amplify a creator's live Instagram broadcast as a paid advertisement, extending a feature that already exists on Facebook to Instagram for the first time.

An industry analysis confirms that, as of September 2026, self-serve access to ChatGPT Ads Manager is available in 63 countries, including all EU member states, the UK, Switzerland, Norway, the US, Canada, Japan, India, Brazil, and the UAE.

OpenAI announced new AI-powered advertising tools, including Sponsored Agents that let users converse with a business after clicking an ad, plus AI-generated creative assistance and HubSpot and Shopify integrations.

Meta and YouTube confirmed they will accept advertising for director Alex Gibney's upcoming Elon Musk documentary, following earlier reports that several social platforms had rejected the ads.

According to a report, on September 16, a week before the expansion, OpenAI introduced so-called Sponsored Agents along with new Ads Manager features, broadening the ad platform's capabilities.

OpenAI introduced new controls in the Admin Console allowing global admins of ChatGPT Enterprise, EDU, and Business organizations to manage whether connected applications can access ChatGPT Ads. Both new permissions are off by default during the admin preview.

OpenAI noted that advertisers can access ChatGPT Ads in the new markets through its Ads Solutions team and agency partners including dentsu, Havas Media, Omnicom Media, Publicis Groupe and WPP.

OpenAI told MARKETECH APAC that the decision to expand to Southeast Asia and Taiwan stemmed from strong advertiser interest in the region, including its waitlist, and lessons learned from previous market launches.

Ahead of the Southeast Asia expansion, it was reported that adtech company Equativ became a technology partner for ChatGPT Ads, including campaign support in Japan.

With the new expansion, OpenAI began rolling out ChatGPT Ads in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan, and opened self-service buying to businesses in all seven markets from day one, unlike the earlier India launch.

Meta introduced its official Ads CLI, a tool that enables system user token setup and campaign management commands, compatible with AI assistants like Claude Code or Codex.

OpenAI released the ChatGPT Ads app for Shopify, letting merchants connect their store to Ads Manager, automatically sync their product catalog, and set up the OpenAI Pixel.

Meta launched a new Creative Diversity rating inside Ads Manager that scores the creative variety of advertisers' campaigns.

OpenAI announced the expansion of ChatGPT Ads to Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Taiwan, surpassing 60 countries with platform availability. Eligible businesses can access the self-serve Ads Manager from day one.

OpenAI introduced to select clients a new AI-native ad format that, when the call-to-action button is clicked, opens a branded chat with the brand's AI agent instead of sending users to an external website.

Starting September 29, Meta made live video ads generally available on Instagram, allowing brands to sponsor creator livestreams as partnership ads.

According to an update of OpenAI's Ads Manager availability table, ChatGPT Ads now operates in 52 countries, with ads matched to users based on conversation topic, chat history, and past ad interactions.

OpenAI confirmed that its HubSpot (first CRM partner) and Shopify (first commerce partner) integrations are live for US businesses and will expand to markets where ChatGPT Ads is available starting September 23.

A platform update roundup notes that the biggest recent ChatGPT Ads changes are new Shopify and HubSpot integrations, alongside the testing of Sponsored Agents that let users chat directly with a brand's own agent.

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar described the text/image answer-based ad units (launched September 10 via Amazon DSP and Adform) as a "basic starting point" compared to the new Sponsored Agents.

While Sponsored Agents remain a US-only test, the Shopify route opens in other markets on September 23, giving advertisers outside the US a practical on-ramp to the format.

In its 'Ads in ChatGPT: The Basics' documentation, OpenAI reaffirms that ads are not eligible to appear near sensitive or regulated topics like personal health, mental health, or politics, and are not shown to accounts identified as under 18 on the Free and Go plans.

Industry coverage notes that while ChatGPT Ads reached a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate in under 200 days, questions remain about actual performance, as agency buyers say returns have not yet materialized.

OpenAI updated its official ChatGPT Ads blog with a new entry titled 'Reimagining advertising with AI,' listed as the most recent post in the ad platform's news section.

Under the title 'Reimagining advertising with AI,' OpenAI announced Sponsored Agents (brand-backed conversational agents triggered after an ad click), a creative assistant for generating ad copy and images, and natural-language campaign management inside Ads Manager.

OpenAI began testing Sponsored Agents with select US advertisers, business-sponsored AI agents that hold a separate conversation with users after they click on an ad in ChatGPT.

Alongside the Sponsored Agents launch, HubSpot became OpenAI's first CRM partner for ChatGPT Ads, and a new Shopify App Store connector opened the channel to US merchants.

OpenAI began testing Sponsored Agents, advertiser-backed bots that start a clearly labeled conversation separate from ChatGPT's own answer, with Wayfair and Angi as launch partners in the US.

OpenAI updated its Ads Manager Beta documentation, the platform for creating, launching, and managing ChatGPT Ads campaigns, clarifying that it remains a beta product with limited capabilities that will expand over time.

OpenAI confirmed its advertising division hit a $1 billion annualized revenue run rate in less than 200 days since launch, with the platform now used by tens of thousands of advertisers globally.

Angi confirmed it is one of the first partners testing the new format, deploying an agent that connects users to local contractors, while Wayfair offers personalized product recommendations within the same ChatGPT conversation.

OpenAI unveiled Sponsored Agents, an ad format that lets brands complete real tasks inside a ChatGPT conversation rather than just showing a banner, with Angi confirmed as the first named partner alongside a direct commerce integration with Shopify.

A report indicates ChatGPT Ads is drawing advertiser demand but falling short on click-through rates, targeting capabilities and platform reach, according to media agencies.

Wayfair stated it is testing the new format at small scale, applying guardrails around product accuracy, transparency, and handoffs to customer service when needed.

Starting September 16, businesses using HubSpot can connect their ChatGPT Ads account and manage campaigns without leaving the CRM, while US Shopify merchants can use a new app in the Shopify App Store with their catalog already integrated.

US-based Shopify merchants can now install the new free ChatGPT Ads app to create and manage campaigns with their product catalogs automatically integrated. The app will roll out to international markets where ChatGPT Ads is available starting September 23.

OpenAI made generally available a new campaign type that optimizes conversions from both ad clicks and ad views, with billing based on impressions while delivery optimizes toward the conversion goal. The company describes it as its recommended model for maximizing performance.

OpenAI announced its first CRM integration with HubSpot and first ecommerce integration with Shopify for ChatGPT Ads, letting businesses create ads, sync product catalogs, and track performance without leaving those tools. The Shopify app launched in the US on September 16 and will expand internationally on September 23.

Meta released its own first-party MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for ads, enabling AI agents to connect directly to ad account management.

Meta introduced Meta One on September 15, a four-tier paid subscription that gates previously free features like Competitive Insights and Custom Audience Insights, available across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Meta AI.

Amazon Ads and OpenAI launched a pilot on September 10 letting select U.S. advertisers buy ChatGPT ad space through Amazon DSP, with Delta Vacations among the first brands testing it. Amazon manages campaign setup, but OpenAI's system still decides which ads appear and where.

Digiday reported on September 14 that OpenAI was testing with select clients an ad format that opens a chat with the advertiser's AI agent instead of redirecting to a website, confirmed by Wayfair as part of the pilot.

Days before the Sponsored Agents launch, OpenAI finalized the integration of Amazon Ads into the ChatGPT ad inventory via its DSP, laying the commerce infrastructure groundwork.

A recent report notes that ChatGPT ad performance varies widely among advertisers, with some reporting costs per click under $3 while others pay up to $13, and highly uneven lead generation results.

Meta's Marketing API v24.0 sunsets on October 6, 2026, and on October 27 the v26.0 field removals extend to all remaining API versions, affecting developers and integration tools.

OpenAI updated its ads platform in early September to require product feeds for shopping results, while adding new global markets, an Ads Manager plugin, and audience tools for ecommerce brands.

Meta announced new AI-powered tools to boost purchases from livestreams working with platforms like CommentSold and Firework, and rolled out 'Post-view ads,' a new ad format for Instagram Reels.

Meta now allows advertisers to build custom audiences specifically for excluding groups such as existing customers or opted-out users, helping avoid wasted budget on unwanted audiences.