ChatGPT is graduating from a test bed to a media channel. Comscore’s Q2 2026 AI Intelligence Report, released September 22, found sponsored ads in 47% of U.S. PC conversations about video games and consoles in June — up from 3% in March. For performance marketers, that kind of quarterly shift is a signal to pay attention.
The numbers behind the jump
Gaming showed the steepest climb. Ad presence in those conversations held at 3% to 4% through April, then rose to 18% in May and 47% in June. Toys and hobbies followed a steadier path: 5% in March, 12% in April, 14% in May and 24% in June. Books, music and video were less linear, moving from 9% in March to 12% in April, dipping to 8% in May and then rising to 22% in June.
Comscore’s retail series measures the share of ChatGPT conversations in each category that include at least one sponsored ad. The data covers U.S. PC activity from an opt-in panel, not impressions or individual users.
Read the fine print before you reallocate budget
The report does not publish conversation counts, how categories were assigned, or whether a single sponsored message anywhere in a thread counts. It also doesn’t break out ad-free plan users. OpenAI says ads can appear for Free and Go users and logged-out users, while Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu accounts are ad-free. That means the true share of ad-eligible conversations could be higher than these percentages.
The June increase should be treated as a preliminary observation until Comscore releases detailed counts. It’s a direction, not a hard performance benchmark.
Why this matters for growth teams
The timing matters. OpenAI began testing ChatGPT ads on February 9, then started rolling out a beta self-serve Ads Manager on May 5 with cost-per-click alongside CPM buying. June was the first full month after that rollout. The report doesn’t prove causality, but the jump fits a familiar pattern: easier ad buying usually increases advertiser participation and inventory.
For D2C brands, the newest opportunity is already here. On September 16, OpenAI launched a ChatGPT Ads app for U.S. Shopify merchants, with plans to expand to more markets on September 23. Since product data flows through Shopify Catalog, merchants can activate ads almost immediately.
What to do now
- Check where you are eligible: Free and Go placements reach a different audience than ad-free ChatGPT plans.
- Audit your Shopify Catalog and test the ChatGPT Ads app while competition is still forming.
- Track your AI conversation share by retail category, not just raw impressions.
- Watch Sponsored Agents: OpenAI is testing ads that open a separate conversation with a business-sponsored agent.
The takeaway
AI-assisted search is becoming a paid media environment faster than many brands expected. The 47% figure in gaming is directionally significant even if Comscore’s methodology leaves questions. Teams that set up clean product feeds, test the new ad surface and build a simple share-of-conversation dashboard will have an early advantage before ChatGPT ads mature.
Source: Search Engine Journal
