OpenAI Adds Product Carousels to ChatGPT Ads

OpenAI is adding a product carousel to its ChatGPT ad placements, allowing several items to appear side‑by‑side at the bottom of a user’s conversation.

How the carousel differs from earlier ads

Until now, ChatGPT ads have shown a single product with a headline, short description, image and link. The new format mirrors what shoppers see on other platforms: a scrollable row of products drawn from a retailer’s catalog. Screenshots verified by a media outlet show the carousel in the same location where a single‑product ad previously sat.

OpenAI introduced bulk‑creation tools for e‑commerce advertisers three months ago, letting retailers upload product feeds instead of building individual campaigns. That change laid the groundwork for side‑by‑side ad slots, which the carousel now fills.

Unlike Google’s Shopping feed, where brands set up each ad unit, OpenAI’s system pulls data automatically from the retailer’s feed and decides which items to display. The choice between a single ad or a carousel is made by the platform, not by the advertiser. This suggests internal algorithms are already handling product selection for the new format.

Potential impact on advertisers and holiday spending

The rollout comes as advertisers prepare for the fourth quarter, traditionally the busiest season for ad spend. A U.S. agency executive, who has worked with the pilot program since its inception, said, “Q4 is coming, the holiday shopping season is coming, so OpenAI wants to make sure that these products are discoverable in ChatGPT conversations.”

OpenAI has not disclosed specific pricing for carousel placements, but the move could attract more retailers looking for shoppable exposure within conversational AI. The format currently limits each carousel to items from a single retailer, but the underlying mechanics could support multiple brands in the same row, creating a competitive display similar to what users encounter on e‑commerce sites.

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Analysts note that the company has set ambitious revenue goals. Reports indicate OpenAI aims for $2.5 billion in ad revenue by 2026 and envisions earnings exceeding $100 billion by 2030. The fourth quarter will be a critical test of whether the new format can help meet those targets.

The carousel sits at the chat bottom.

From a broader perspective, the carousel reflects a trend toward integrating shopping experiences directly into conversational interfaces. As users grow accustomed to asking AI for product recommendations, having multiple options visible without leaving the chat could streamline the purchase journey. If the format proves effective, it may encourage other AI platforms to adopt similar shoppable layouts, reinforcing the role of conversational AI as a commercial hub.

Technical details and future possibilities

The carousel appears at the bottom of the chat window, clearly labeled as advertising. It pulls product titles, images and links from the retailer’s feed, arranging them horizontally. OpenAI’s ad platform determines which items to feature based on relevance to the user’s query, though the exact ranking algorithm remains undisclosed.

Currently, the carousel only showcases products from one retailer at a time. However, the system is built to scale, potentially allowing multiple retailers to share a single carousel in future iterations. That would let users compare items side‑by‑side without handling away from the conversation.

OpenAI did not respond to a request for comment about the rollout. The company’s focus on expanding ad formats suggests it sees conversational AI as a growing channel for e‑commerce, especially as holiday budgets tighten and advertisers seek new ways to reach shoppers.