OpenAI has introduced a new visual advertising format for ChatGPT, expanding the role of AI from answering questions to becoming a new channel for product and service discovery.
The announcement, published on 5 October 2026, is significant for businesses because it shows how quickly conversational AI is moving into the commercial journey. Instead of advertising being limited to search engines and social feeds, companies may increasingly be discovered while a customer is actively asking an AI assistant for help, comparing options or making a buying decision.
What OpenAI announced
OpenAI says the new format is designed to help people explore products and services in a more visual way. The company is also expanding measurement tools so advertisers can better understand the impact of campaigns and how users interact with sponsored content.
That matters because AI conversations are often much closer to intent than a normal social-media impression. A user may be asking for a recommendation, researching a purchase, comparing providers or trying to solve a specific business problem.
Why this matters for businesses
The shift creates a new marketing question: how visible is your business when customers use AI to research a solution?
Traditional SEO remains important, but businesses may increasingly need to think about AI visibility as well. Clear website structure, accurate service information, trusted brand signals, useful content, strong local presence and structured data all help AI systems understand what a company does and when it may be relevant.
For SMEs in South Africa, this could be particularly important. Businesses that build strong digital foundations early may be better positioned as AI-assisted search and shopping become more common.
Advertising is moving closer to the decision
Search advertising has historically worked because it captures users with intent. Conversational AI can take that a step further by helping users define the problem, compare solutions and decide what to do next in the same interaction.
That means future AI advertising may be less about interrupting a user and more about appearing at the exact point where a relevant recommendation is useful.
Zapture’s view
For businesses, the bigger story is not simply that ChatGPT is adding ads. It is that AI platforms are becoming part of the customer acquisition journey.
Companies should start preparing now by making sure their websites, service pages, local listings, lead forms and digital content are structured clearly enough for both search engines and AI systems to understand.
Zapture is actively expanding its AI automation offering, including AI receptionists, workflow automation and website integrations that help businesses respond faster and reduce repetitive work.
Source: OpenAI – Building advertising for the way people use AI.
