AI agents reach the ad transaction

Amazon Ads opened its DSP to ChatGPT ad inventory this week, a US-only pilot with Delta Vacations among the first buyers, while OpenAI's ChatGPT Ads Manager plugin hands campaign management to an agent with a human approval step left in.

The crux

The buy side and the sell side of advertising are being handed to agents at the same time, and Amazon and OpenAI own the delivery logic, not just the inventory.

Sell-side read

Publishers have to work out whether conversational surfaces are a new demand source for their audiences or another gatekeeper sitting between them and advertiser budgets.

Watch

Amazon's unBoxed event (28-30 September) and whether ChatGPT self-serve buying opens beyond the managed pilot.