OpenAI brings product carousels to ChatGPT ads

August 06, 2026 OpenAI is launching an ad carousel that allows multiple products to appear within a single ChatGPT ad placement, at the bottom of a user’s conversation — the same way a typical single product ad would appear. A product carousel is a notable step forward for OpenAI, which for the past five months, has largely relied on a single ad format that features a headline, short description, an image and a link. TOP STORY Marketing on Platforms OpenAI brings product carousels to ChatGPT ads It builds on OpenAI’s product feed campaigns, bringing a Google Shopping-style carousel format to ChatGPT ahead of the Q4 holiday period. Advertisement OTHER THINGS TO KNOW Last chance: Enter the Digiday Awards by Aug. 7 to showcase the campaigns, companies and creatives modernizing media and marketing. Gain industry recognition alongside past honorees including Tripadvisor, OLIPOP, NFL and Digitas. Submit your entry today. To prepare for adopting agentic AI technology the right way, this agent readiness self-assessment helps organizations determine where they stand and what they need to prioritize to establish an agentic-informed organization. Partner insights from Optable. The most valuable influencer in a given category probably has no followers, no media kit and no idea they’re influencing anyone. They’re the leader of a friend group. When they pay, their friends do too. Partner insights from PayPal Ads. MARKETING The Creator Economy Why brands like Gap Inc. and Staples are inviting their employees to be creators Companies are scrambling for creators. Turns out they already employ them. Retail Media Rewritten Kroger’s AI shopping assistant has ads at launch Kroger has made advertising part of its AI shopping assistant, following the implementation of advertising features on competitors’ chatbots. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM TALON.ONE Why marketers must become AI agent-ready now Agentic AI is projected to account for 15%–25% of total U.S. e-commerce by 2030, according to Bain & Company — an indication that businesses won’t truly be omnichannel unless they have incorporated agentic shopping experiences. AI Revenue Generation Time has started serving ads to AI agents Time is selling ads targeting AI bots, betting that markdown pages will make its content (and advertisers) more visible in AI search. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM CONTENTFUL How teams are embracing AI without losing the human touch While AI is changing how work gets done, it’s not changing who does it just yet. The focus now is shifting from finding the perfect tech stack to prioritizing AI that works alongside marketers. Advertisement DIGIDAY+ Member exclusive Media Briefing: The case for and against markdown for AI bots Markdown is becoming publishers’ latest AI optimization tactic, raising questions about the scraping tradeoff. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM MOLOCO The problem with last-touch for CTV Measuring CTV on last-touch alone tells only part of the story. Across hundreds of advertisers, 30% of campaigns are significantly undervalued by last-touch models alone. ICYMI Marketing on Platforms OpenAI gives ChatGPT ads a visual upgrade OpenAI is building on its single ad format to include some new iterations that give advertisers more optionality over their appearances. Marketing on Platforms OpenAI makes it easier to run shopping ads in ChatGPT OpenAI automates product ads for e-commerce brands, tapping existing catalogue infrastructure. Written by Jim Cooper and Sara Jerde Were you forwarded this email? Sign up to get it daily. Advertise | Digiday+ | Events | Awards Update your email | Unsubscribe | Privacy policy