Welcome to the forefront of conversational AI as we explore the fascinating world of AI chatbots in our dedicated blog series. Discover the latest advancements, applications, and strategies that propel the evolution of chatbot technology. From enhancing customer interactions to streamlining business processes, these articles delve into the innovative ways artificial intelligence is shaping the landscape of automated conversational agents. Whether you’re a business owner, developer, or simply intrigued by the future of interactive technology, join us on this journey to unravel the transformative power and endless possibilities of AI chatbots.
TOPICS
ai and ml
Advertisers can now ask ChatGPT to help create their ChatGPT ads, because what’s more relatable than an ad crafted by a bot?
There’s a new kind of agent coming to ChatGPT ads, and this one wants your money. OpenAI has begun testing Sponsored Agents, advertiser-backed bots that try to sell you things as part of a custom conversation.
OpenAI said in a Wednesday announcement that Sponsored Agents were now being tested with select US advertisers already using its platform to put sponsored content in front of ChatGPT users.
Despite the “agent” label, however, it seems from OpenAI’s description of the new feature that it’s more like a typical sponsored content chatbot that appears unasked on websites, bombarding users with the opportunity to ask a virtual customer service agent what product is right for them. In this case, the customer service agent lives right in ChatGPT instead of users having to go to an advertiser’s actual website to learn more – you wouldn’t want those humans navigating away until the last possible minute, after all.
“After seeing a relevant ad, a user can choose to start a clearly labeled conversation with a business-sponsored agent in ChatGPT,” the announcement explains. “The user can explain what matters to them, ask follow-up questions, and follow a link to the business’s website when they’re ready to take the next step.”
As an example, a brief video included with the announcement shows a user asking for a recipe and instead being told they shouldn’t worry about trying to plan their meals before being shunted into an ad for a subscription meal kit. The sponsored agent from the meal kit company in the ad simply provided options on which of its kits was the fastest to prepare for a weeknight meal.
“For businesses, it’s an opportunity to help interested customers explore their offerings through a personalized conversation,” OpenAI added. In other words, this is pretty much exactly like the chatbots you see on company websites, only run by OpenAI and embedded in its products instead.
OpenAI mentioned a couple of other new AI advertising tools alongside the sponsored agents, one of which is sure to make the ads you see in your slop-filled ChatGPT responses even sloppier.
“Advertisers can now use simple, natural-language prompts to create, update, and analyze campaigns directly in ChatGPT with the Ads Manager plugin,” the company said. In other words, why even have an advertising professional create the campaigns you cram into ChatGPT when ChatGPT can do it for you?
“When drafting an ad, advertisers can now receive suggested copy and imagery based on their landing page and campaign objective,” OpenAI added. Perfect: Slop ads served in slop responses. What more could you ask for?
HubSpot users and Shopify merchants are also getting new ChatGPT ads connections, the company said, enabling more businesses to cram more ads in front of more ChatGPT users, we suppose.
“These launches reflect how we’re building an advertising platform with AI at its center,” OpenAI said. We get the internet we deserve, and it looks like it’s going to be one with ever more sloppy, artificial content crammed wherever advertisers can find a space. ®
Lasso Security sees differences in tool handling and model refusals
ISE authentication bypass under active attack just days after another Cisco zero-day sent admins scrambling to patch
PARTNER CONTENT: Pairs block and adjacent file workloads with independent scaling of performance and capacity
Mustafa Suleyman claims model welfare language could make future systems harder to control – while sparing OpenAI the same scrutiny
Downloading a model is increasingly easy. Understanding how it was made, or changing a system at its root, is another matter
Even a temporary staging server needs to be locked down.
ai and ml
Lasso Security sees differences in tool handling and model refusals
SYSTEMS
GPUzilla woos neoclouds into another walled garden, promising smarter, more efficient, and profitable bit barns
cyber-crime
Data protection chiefs call for ‘immediate review’ of data protection models
SYSTEMS
Intel spin-off Cornelis and newcomer Delos Data pitch open alternatives for scaling AI beyond the rack
AI AND ML
American model devs are trying to convince Washington to cement their dominance
Security
PLUS: US takes down Iranian propaganda sites; Marketing company asks ‘Why Do We Have Your Information?’ And more!
Security
PLUS: China upgrades smartphone surveillance tools; Ring eases anti-snooping stance; and more
Black Hat and DEF CON
Voting village reports have been so successful, says Jeff Moss, that the whole of DEF CON will now be included
Security
Went at equivalent of $3.5B+ valuation for entire firm, though portion sold not specified
Malware Month
On the plus side, infosec’s a good bet for a long, stable career
Acquisition gives open source CSS framework ‘a stable long-term home’
Swiss Army sticks a knife in American cloud apps with its own FOSS push
Debian and Xfce – solid, sensible choices – with a pretty skin
The Ubuntu Pastebin went in June, IRC gets demoted next
The FOSS tool for audio editing has a fresh coat of paint, and new features to boot
A real alternative to running some kind of FOSS Unix clone
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Contact us
Advertise with us
Who we are
Newsletter
The Next Platform
DevClass
Blocks and Files
Situation Publishing
Cookies Policy
Privacy Policy
Ts & Cs
Do not share my personal information
Your Consent Options
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998-2026.