Criteo has become the first advertising technology company to integrate with OpenAI’s ChatGPT advertising pilot. The move expands commercial access to the platform’s estimated 300 million weekly active users beyond the small group of direct advertisers that participated in the initial tests.

The partnership covers ChatGPT’s Free and Go subscription tiers in the United States. It allows Criteo’s 17,000 global advertisers to programmatically purchase advertising inventory within ChatGPT conversations, alongside traditional web, mobile and video placements, through the company’s demand-side platform.

The integration will begin rolling out in the coming weeks and signals a shift from experimental advertising tests to a structured monetisation framework.

The agreement effectively marks the end of the “test phase” that characterised ChatGPT’s initial advertising experiments. Those early trials launched on February 9, 2026 through direct partnerships involving major agency holding companies, including Dentsu, Omnicom and WPP, which participated on behalf of selected clients.

Criteo’s participation expands the commercial framework beyond direct brand relationships into established programmatic advertising systems that power much of the digital marketing ecosystem.

Criteo chief executive Michael Komasinski described the integration as an opportunity to shape “how advertising can support discovery and consideration within Large Language Model platforms, grounded in experiences that are additive, relevant, and built on user trust.”

The statement emphasises brand discovery rather than direct response advertising. However, internal Criteo data suggests that ChatGPT referrals are already generating strong conversion results.

Users referred to retail websites from large language model platforms such as ChatGPT convert at approximately 1.5 times the rate of other referral channels. The finding is based on Criteo’s analysis of 500 US retailers observed in February 2026.

The conversion advantage strengthens the industry view that AI-assisted search reflects strong commercial intent. Many users consult ChatGPT at decision-making moments rather than during casual browsing.

Advertisements will appear below ChatGPT responses and will carry clear “sponsored” labels.

OpenAI maintains that advertising placements do not influence ChatGPT’s answers. The company says it has preserved structural separation between commercial interests and information delivery.

That boundary continues to attract scrutiny as monetisation expands. Industry observers remain concerned about maintaining answer integrity while increasing advertising revenue.

The partnership also addresses practical barriers that limited early participation in ChatGPT advertising.

Previously, direct partnerships with OpenAI required large minimum commitments and customised integration work. This structure suited major brands but effectively excluded mid-sized advertisers.

Criteo’s platform lowers the entry barrier. Thousands of smaller advertisers will now be able to test conversational AI advertising without dedicated account teams or complex technical integration.

For Criteo, the OpenAI integration provides strategic validation of its positioning as commerce intelligence infrastructure for AI-driven discovery.

The company has spent recent quarters emphasising its role in connecting retail media networks, open web inventory and emerging digital surfaces through unified data and activation tools.

Criteo argues that AI platforms require structured commerce data rather than relying solely on general web crawl information to deliver accurate product recommendations.

The development comes at a challenging financial moment for Criteo. The company reported fourth-quarter 2025 revenue of $541 million, representing a 2 percent year-on-year decline.

Criteo also expects a $75 million impact from reduced client scope across the first ten months of 2026.

Against that backdrop, the ChatGPT partnership provides narrative momentum for a company seeking to reposition itself beyond its traditional retargeting business into broader commerce media infrastructure.

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