Can you advertise inside ChatGPT and other AI assistants?
Yes. ChatGPT ads opened to UK advertisers in August 2026, and Google and Microsoft are adding ads to their AI answers market by market. We plan and run these campaigns alongside paid search, so you reach people while they compare options in an AI assistant, in clearly labelled placements that never change the answer itself.
What we do
People now ask AI assistants to compare suppliers, products and services before they buy. AI ads put your brand in front of them in that moment, as a sponsored placement beside the answer. We set up and manage the campaigns, write ads that match the questions people ask, and judge them on what they deliver, not on novelty.
Route is independent, so we will tell you honestly whether AI ads suit your brief. They are new, costs and results are still settling, and for most plans they work best as a tested share of budget alongside paid search rather than a replacement for it.
What you get
We set up and manage your campaigns in ChatGPT Ads Manager, and in your existing Google and Microsoft accounts wherever AI placements are open to UK advertisers. Each ad is written around the questions your buyers actually ask.
Our reporting puts AI placements side by side with your search and social activity, measured against the same goals, so you can see whether they have earned a bigger share of budget.
Where AI ads run
ChatGPT
Sponsored placements for logged-in adults on the Free and Go plans, matched to the topic of the conversation. Ads are labelled, kept separate from the answer and never change what ChatGPT says. Open to UK advertisers since August 2026.
Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft serves ads in Copilot answers through Microsoft Advertising, so they can run from the same account as your Bing search ads where Copilot placements are available.
Google AI Overviews and AI Mode
Google shows ads in its AI answers from existing Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns and is rolling them out country by country. We check what is live in the UK when we plan.
What to know before you start
ChatGPT does not show ads to people it knows or predicts are under 18, and ads are not eligible near sensitive or regulated topics such as health, mental health and politics. That matters for public sector and health campaigns, where we will usually recommend other channels. Advertisers see only aggregate results, such as views and clicks, never anyone's conversations.
How we work
Brief and fit
We check whether your audience uses AI assistants to research your category, and whether your topic is eligible.
Questions and topics
We map the questions buyers ask, using the same prompt research as our AI search optimisation work.
Set-up and tracking
Accounts, conversion tracking and landing pages are ready before any money is spent.
Measured test
A test budget with clear success measures, run alongside your paid search.
Optimise and report
We compare cost and quality of response with your other channels, and scale only what works.
Ads and AI search optimisation together
AI ads and AI search optimisation work as a pair. Optimisation earns your organisation a place in the answer over time, and ads give you a visible place beside it while that work builds. Both run with our paid search team, because the same questions drive all three.
Common questions
Are ChatGPT ads available in the UK?
Yes. OpenAI launched ChatGPT ads in the UK in August 2026, alongside Mexico, Brazil, Japan and South Korea. Businesses set up campaigns through OpenAI's Ads Manager, and we can plan and run them for you.
Do ads change what ChatGPT says?
No. OpenAI says ads do not influence ChatGPT's answers. Each ad is labelled as sponsored and shown separately from the answer, and advertisers never see anyone's conversations, only aggregate results such as views and clicks.
Who sees ChatGPT ads?
Logged-in adults on the Free and Go plans. Paid plans such as Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise do not show ads, and ads are not shown to people OpenAI knows or predicts are under 18.
Are AI ads right for every campaign?
No. ChatGPT ads are not eligible near sensitive or regulated topics such as health, mental health and politics, and costs and results are still settling because the formats are new. We recommend a measured test where your audience is likely to use AI assistants, and we will tell you when another channel will work harder.
Wondering whether AI ads fit your plan?
Call +44 (0) 191 933 7588, email info.route@route.agency, or send us your brief.