ChatGPT Now Has Sponsored Agents. Here’s Who You’re Actually Talking To.

Last updated September 18, 2026

ChatGPT sponsored agents started testing this week, in the US only for now. A regular ChatGPT ad is a card under the answer that sends you to a website. With a sponsored agent, the tap opens a chat with the company’s own bot.

What ChatGPT sponsored agents are

A sponsored agent is a chatbot a business pays to put behind its ChatGPT ad. You tap the ad, ask it about the product, and follow a link to the company’s site when you’re done.

OpenAI announced the test on Wednesday, September 16, with select US advertisers, and The Register quoted the announcement directly: “After seeing a relevant ad, a user can choose to start a clearly labeled conversation with a business-sponsored agent in ChatGPT.” Wayfair confirmed to Digiday that it’s in the pilot at small scale. Angi put out its own release saying its agent can show up when you’re talking about a home project, and it hands you off to Angi’s service request flow to get matched with a local pro.

Is it labeled, and what does the brand see?

Yes, it’s labeled, and nothing starts unless you tap. What the brand gets to see of that chat is the part OpenAI hasn’t spelled out.

For the regular ads, the rule is on the record. MacRumors reported in February that advertisers get totals like views and clicks and “won’t have access to chat history, memories, or personal user information.” A sponsored agent is a different situation, because you’re typing straight to the brand’s bot. Nothing I found from OpenAI, Angi, or the coverage says whether the business keeps a transcript of that chat.

Until someone answers that, treat it like the chat window on the company’s own website.

Which plans see sponsored agents

OpenAI hasn’t published a separate plan list for sponsored agents. They hang off ads, so if your plan doesn’t show ads, there’s no button to tap.

As of MacRumors’ February report, ads are limited to logged-in adults on Free and Go, which is OpenAI’s low-cost paid plan. Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Education don’t see them. The same split applied when ChatGPT ads reached Europe.

I’ve said before that ads on a free plan seem fair to me, because almost nobody in AI is making money and the free tier has to be paid for somehow. So a sponsored agent that stays on Free fits what I think is fair, as long as the label is obvious. Go is the part I don’t like. If I’m paying every month, I don’t think I should still see ads, and that goes for an ad that talks back too.

Can you turn it off?

OpenAI hasn’t announced a switch for sponsored agents specifically. The chat only opens if you tap the ad, so not tapping is the control you have today.

You can dismiss an ad, see why you got it, delete your ad data, and turn off personalization, or drop ads completely in exchange for fewer free messages a day. OpenAI hasn’t said whether any of those settings apply to the agent chats, or when the pilot widens.

Common questions

I’ll update this post when OpenAI says what the brand gets to keep from these chats.

Related reading: OpenAI pays contractors to read real ChatGPT conversations | ChatGPT ads hit 31 more countries | New to AI? Start here