Stock photo via Pexels
Amazon and OpenAI launched a partnership on September 10 allowing brands that advertise through Amazon to run campaigns inside ChatGPT, as reported by Digiday. The pilot is limited to select U.S. advertisers for now.
Delta Vacations is among the first brands publicly named.
The mechanics split neatly between the two companies. Amazon sets up and manages the campaigns through its demand-side platform. OpenAI’s own ads system handles all delivery decisions and placement. Ad units appear as text or images beneath ChatGPT responses.
A Pattern Amazon Has Been Running for Over a Year
The ChatGPT deal extends a streak that began in earnest around 18 months ago. Over that period, Amazon has secured access to ad inventory across Netflix, Roku, Spotify, SiriusXM, Disney, Hulu, and ESPN.
Each agreement has reinforced the same pitch from Amazon’s ads team: its platform combines lower fees than rivals with first-party shopping data no other buyer can match.
Chris Conetta, director of omnichannel supply at Amazon DSP, framed the ChatGPT move as meeting audiences where they already spend time, describing conversational ad formats as the fastest-growing engagement opportunity for brands.
Katrin Koenig, president of Delta Vacations, said the collaboration allows the brand to use consumer insights to shape when and how it appears inside chat-based experiences, reflecting how travel planning has grown more personalised.
Why ChatGPT Is an Attractive New Surface
The scale of OpenAI’s platform is hard to ignore. ChatGPT reached 900 million weekly active users as of February, and OpenAI’s ad business hit a $1 billion annualised revenue run rate around the same time, according to Gate.com.
OpenAI began selling sponsored placements in the U.S. in February, initially working with retailers including Best Buy and Williams-Sonoma.
Amazon’s own relationship with the platform runs deeper than this deal suggests.
Market intelligence firm Sensor Tower tracked Amazon as the top retail advertiser on ChatGPT between April and August, even as the company has restricted ChatGPT’s access to its own webstore while developing in-house AI shopping tools.
What It Means for Creators and Content Businesses
For anyone building an audience or monetising content, the shift matters.
Advertising budgets increasingly follow attention, and ChatGPT is where a meaningful slice of that attention now lives.
The travel vertical looks like an early test case, given how users treat the app as a full-funnel planning tool rather than a simple search box.
Analyst Nate Elliott, cited by Digiday, was sceptical about reading too much into the near-term picture, saying Q4 would be an overly generous stress test for OpenAI’s still-young ad business. The pilot’s limited U.S. scope and single named brand reflect that caution.
Whether Amazon moves to broaden access quickly will depend on what the initial campaigns show.