OpenAI just launched conversational ads

Bloomberg

Profound reached a $1.8 billion valuation after raising $180 million in Series D funding to help brands optimize their visibility in AI chatbot search results. The startup addresses the shift in consumer behavior from traditional search engines to AI assistants like ChatGPT and Gemini.

OpenAI

OpenAI is introducing Sponsored Agents that let ChatGPT users have AI-powered conversations with businesses after clicking ads, alongside natural language ad creation tools and integrations with HubSpot and Shopify. This marks OpenAI's expansion into building a comprehensive AI-native advertising platform that simplifies campaign management for businesses while making ads more interactive for users.

Dwarkesh Patel

OpenAI's Noam Brown discusses agent swarms and recursive self-improvement, two frontier AI research areas that could dramatically accelerate AI capabilities and autonomous system development.

Google Blog

Google is expanding agentic commerce capabilities across its platforms with AI performance insights, conversational Business Agents embedded in YouTube ads, and enhanced Universal Commerce Protocol integration to help retailers convert AI-assisted shoppers during the holiday season. Early testing shows 5% conversion increases from optimized feeds and 50% incorporation of conversational attributes in AI Mode.

Google

Google released a native Gemini desktop app for Windows and macOS with keyboard shortcuts for instant AI access, featuring Gemini Spark autonomous agent capabilities and deep integration with Google Workspace apps for productivity workflows.