LLM ADS IN 2026: WHERE AI ASSISTANT ADVERTISING STANDS

Advertising has arrived in AI assistants, but not everywhere. Some platforms now sell ads next to their answers. Others have ruled ads out,  one tried them and walked away. This page tracks who’s in, who’s out, and what this new channel means for your media plan. We will continue to update with developments as the market moves.

Explore ChatGPT Ads
LLM ads in 2026: where AI assistant advertising stands

Which AI assistants have ads?

As of October 2026, ChatGPT, Google’s AI Mode and AI Overviews, and Microsoft Copilot carry ads. Claude and Perplexity don’t, and the standalone Gemini app remains ad-free. LLM advertising is live, but the market currently is  split. Some platforms see ads as a way to fund free access. Others see them as a risk to user trust.

LLM ads market tracker

Platform Ad status How ads are bought What to know
ChatGPT (OpenAI) Live, in a pilot phase ChatGPT Ads Manager (Beta), agency partners and technology partners Ads appear below responses, labeled as sponsored, for Free and Go users only
Google AI Mode / AI Overviews Live, with new formats in testing Existing Google Ads campaigns (Performance Max, AI Max) Google announced Gemini-built formats at Google Marketing Live in May 2026
Gemini app No ads Not available Ads run in Google’s AI search experiences, not in the Gemini app
Microsoft Copilot Live Existing Microsoft Advertising assets No separate platform; ads are built from current campaigns
Perplexity Stopped advertising Not available Tested ads from 2024, then moved away from them in February 2026 to focus on subscriptions
Claude (Anthropic) Ad-free by policy Not available Anthropic committed publicly in February 2026 to keeping Claude ad-free
Meta AI No ad placement Not available Meta AI doesn’t sell ad placements

Three ways the AI platforms are approaching ads

A new ad platform: OpenAI

OpenAI built its own channel, ChatGPT Ads, with its own Ads Manager and partner network. Ads sit below the answer and are kept separate from it. It is the only AI assistant ad channel built from scratch, which makes it the newest test-and-learn opportunity.

An extension of existing ad systems: Google and Microsoft

Google and Microsoft didn’t build new platforms. They added AI placements to the ad systems advertisers already use. In Google’s case, Performance Max and AI Max campaigns become eligible for AI Mode and AI Overviews. Microsoft does the same with Copilot through Microsoft Advertising. Many brands may already be appearing in these placements without planning to.

No ads, by choice: Anthropic and Perplexity

Anthropic says conversations with Claude are often personal or involve deep work, and that ads would create incentives that conflict with being genuinely helpful. Perplexity reached a similar conclusion after testing ads. Its executives worried that sponsored content would make users doubt every answer.

What LLM ads mean for your marketing

AI assistants are changing how people research and buy. Pre-purchase research now happens in a single conversation, not across several searches and site visits. By the time people reach a brand, they’ve usually narrowed their options. Here’s what that means for your plan:

Paid reach covers only part of the AI audience

Claude, Perplexity, and the Gemini app don’t sell ads. On those platforms, a brand appears only if it’s cited. A plan that only buys ads will miss them.

Paid and earned AI visibility need to be planned together

Ads get you seen on the platforms that sell them. GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) gets you recommended on all of them. Paying for ads doesn’t improve how you appear in the answers themselves, because ChatGPT’s answers aren’t influenced by ads.

Relevance matters more than budget

In ChatGPT Ads, the model decides relevance, and the rules are strict. You can’t increase delivery just by bidding more. What makes the difference is understanding the questions your customers actually ask. Getting this right is a strategy skill, not a media-buying one.

The data is limited, so set up measurement first

ChatGPT Ads don’t yet report share of voice, win rates, or prompt-level data. Set up measurement from day one: the Measurement Pixel or Conversions API, UTMs and your attribution partner. Without it, you can’t tell whether a pilot worked.

Get the basics in place

Brands that do well with LLM ads will have strong paid search, clean first-party data, and a measurement framework already running.

Check your Google and Microsoft campaigns first

Performance Max and AI Max campaigns may already be eligible for AI Mode and AI Overviews. Find out where you already appear before building anything new.

Our view on the LLM ad market

AI assistants won’t replace search ads overnight. Google still dominates high-intent search, and changes in user behavior will set the pace. But the direction is clear. As more research moves into AI conversations, brands will need to learn how intent works in those conversations and how their ads should respond to it.

“The real impact will be seen if and when user behavior significantly shifts towards querying on AI platforms from search engines, and that’s where brands will need to learn a whole new game.”

Bijal Shah | Paid Search Director, M+C Saatchi Performance

Nobody has years of data on this channel yet. The advantage goes to teams that test with discipline and learn quickly.

“Paid search teams will need to learn fast and apply expertise on a new platform to get the best out of LLM ads. What matters now is to move quickly and build measurable testing plans.”

Bijal Shah | Paid Search Director, M+C Saatchi Performance

What we see in practice: AI is shortening the path from research to purchase. In ChatGPT Ads pilots, users have reached the point of sale with higher purchase intent than display audiences.

“AI has compressed the shopping funnel… when users arrive at the point of sale, they tend to have a high purchase intent.”

Emil Dewy | Senior Programmatic Manager, M+C Saatchi Performance

ChatGPT Ads with M+C Saatchi Performance

M+C Saatchi Performance is an agency partner supporting advertising in ChatGPT. Through M+C Saatchi Performance, advertisers can plan, activate, and optimize campaigns in ChatGPT with strategic guidance, campaign management, and measurement support. 

ChatGPT is the only major AI assistant with its own ad platform. With more than 1 billion weekly active users, it’s where most brands should start testing LLM ads. Advertising in ChatGPT is currently in a pilot phase, so we run it as a structured test. That means clear goals, measurement in place from launch and scaling criteria agreed before any spend. 

What we do: 

  • Readiness: Check eligibility for your category and market, and set up measurement. 
  • Intent mapping: Turn your keyword themes into the questions your customers actually ask. 
  • Creative: Adapt your existing assets to Standard Ads and Product Feed Ads. 
  • Activation and optimization: Choose the bidding model and budget structure, and adjust as results come in. 
  • Connected planning: Run ChatGPT Ads together with search, programmatic and GEO, not as a separate channel.
See Our ChatGPT Ads Services

Related Reading:

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What Really Drives LLM Search Visibility?

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Testing ChatGPT Ads: What We’ve Learned

Testing ChatGPT Ads: What We’ve Learned

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LLM ads: frequently asked questions

What are LLM ads?

LLM ads are sponsored placements inside AI assistants, such as ChatGPT, Google’s AI Mode and Microsoft Copilot. They’re matched to the context of a user’s conversation, not only to keywords. They appear next to the AI’s answer and are labeled as sponsored.

Which AI assistants have ads in 2026?

As of October 2026, ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and AI Overviews, and Microsoft Copilot carry ads. Claude, Perplexity, the Gemini app and Meta AI don’t.

Does Claude have ads?

No. In February 2026, Anthropic publicly committed to keeping Claude ad-free. Claude users won’t see sponsored links, and advertisers won’t influence Claude’s responses.

Does Perplexity have ads?

Not anymore. Perplexity tested sponsored content in 2024. In February 2026, it confirmed it was moving away from advertising to focus on subscriptions, saying user trust mattered more.

Can you advertise on Gemini?

Not in the Gemini app. Google sells ads in AI Mode and AI Overviews through existing Google Ads campaigns such as Performance Max and AI Max. Advertisers have been briefed on ads in Gemini chat, but Google hasn’t confirmed them, and reports conflict.

How do Copilot ads work?

Microsoft Copilot ads run through Microsoft Advertising, using your existing campaign assets. There’s no separate platform to set up.

How are LLM ads different from search ads?

Search ads are mainly matched on keywords. LLM ads are matched on what the user means, across a full conversation. In ChatGPT Ads, the model decides relevance, so higher bids alone don’t guarantee delivery.

Does advertising in ChatGPT improve how often my brand is recommended?

No. Ads don’t influence ChatGPT’s answers, and they’re shown separately from the response. To be recommended in answers, you need to earn it through GEO. That’s why we plan paid and earned AI visibility together.

How can my brand appear on AI assistants that don’t sell ads?

On Claude, Perplexity, and the Gemini app, visibility is organic. It depends on whether the AI cites your brand. That means building content and authority that AI engines trust, which is the job of GEO.

Which AI assistant should I advertise on first?

For most brands, ChatGPT is where a dedicated pilot makes sense. On Google and Microsoft, start by checking whether your current campaigns already reach AI placements.

How do you measure LLM ads?

In ChatGPT Ads, use the Measurement Pixel or Conversions API with UTM parameters. Both click-through and view-through attribution are supported, and the platform works with partners such as AppsFlyer and Adjust. Prompt-level data isn’t available yet, so measure business outcomes, not only platform metrics.

Are LLM ads worth testing now?

For brands open to testing, yes, as long as there’s a plan behind it. The channel is changing quickly, so the brands that learn now will understand conversational intent before it becomes standard practice.

Will more AI platforms launch ads?

The market is still changing. We review this page monthly and update the tracker when a platform’s status changes.

Planning for paid and earned AI visibility?

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Talk to our team about where LLM ads and GEO fit in your media plan.