ChatGPT With a Side of Ads: Will AI Chatbots Ruin—or Reinvent—Search Advertising?
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss whether “ChatGPT with Ads” will scare users away, the effectiveness of chatbot ads versus traditional search ads, and whether there’s an ethical component to advertising during a search conversation compared with the blue-link format. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, along with Principal Analyst Nate Elliot and Analyst Marisa Jones. Listen everywhere, and watch on YouTube and Spotify. Get more insights like these with our free, industry-leading newsletters covering advertising, marketing, and commerce. Sign up at emarketer.com/newsletters Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/ For sponsorship opportunities contact us: [email protected] For more information visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/ Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at [email protected] For a transcript of this episode, click here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-chatgpt-with-side-of-ads-will-ai-chatbots-ruin-or-reinvent-search-advertising-behind-numbers © 2026 EMARKETER Seedtag applies advanced AI to deliver privacy-first advertising at scale. As the creator of neuro-contextual advertising, Seedtag moves beyond traditional contextual targeting methods such as keywords and categories. Instead, Seedtag understands deeper signals of interest, intent, and emotion to create custom audiences based on a brand’s objectives. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 AD READ 00:56 FACT OF THE DAY 03:05 TOPIC OF THE DAY 04:10 Q1 - Main takeaway from the ChatGPT with ads news? 06:32 Q2 - Will this scare users away? 08:30 Q3 - How will this sit with users? 09:25 Q4 - How effective are chatbot ads compared to traditional search ads? 11:06 Q5 - How powerful could chatbot ads be? 13:55 Q6 - Where do you think OpenAI will go next in terms of advertising? 17:15 Q7 - Is there more of an ethical component to advertising during a search conversation? 21:10 Q8 - What should marketers do with the news that ChatGPT will have ads? 26:17 OUTRO