Advertising Inside AI: What Brands Need to Know About Ads on ChatGPT, Perplexity, and LLMs

For most of 2024 and into 2025, 'advertising on ChatGPT' was a speculative topic discussed at conferences without a concrete product to point to. That has changed. By Q1 2026, three meaningful paid placement products exist within AI interfaces — each different in format, targeting capability, and measurability. The conversation has moved from 'will this happen?' to 'how does it actually work, and should we be buying it?'

What is actually live right now

• Perplexity Sponsored Answers — the most developed LLM ad product currently available. Advertisers can buy placement within Perplexity's answers for specific query categories. Sponsored answers are labeled and appear below the organic AI-generated response. CPMs are currently high ($25–60 in English-language markets) with limited geographic targeting — MENA-specific targeting is not yet granular.
• Microsoft Copilot Sponsored Content — Microsoft has integrated brand content into Copilot responses via its existing Bing Ads infrastructure. Brands with existing Microsoft Ads campaigns can activate Copilot placement through the same interface. Coverage in Arabic and MENA markets is limited but growing.
• Google AI Overview Integration — while not a pure LLM ad product, Google is actively testing paid placement within AI Overviews. Brands with strong Shopping campaigns are seeing their product listings surface within AI Overview responses for commercial queries. This is the most accessible 'AI ad' opportunity for MENA e-commerce brands today.

What is still hype

OpenAI's paid search advertising product — widely reported as 'coming in 2025' — has not yet launched as a self-serve ad platform accessible to mid-market advertisers. OpenAI has confirmed search monetisation is in development, with initial access expected through partnerships rather than an open auction. For most MENA brands, direct ChatGPT ad placement is not a buying option in Q1 2026. Similarly, Meta's reported plans to integrate AI-assisted ads into its LLaMA-based products remain in internal testing with no confirmed MENA launch timeline.

How LLM ad formats differ from traditional search and display

Traditional search ads work because user intent is declared in the query — a search for 'Shopify agency Jordan' tells you exactly what the person wants. LLM advertising is contextual rather than intent-based. The AI is mid-conversation with a user, inferring their needs from context rather than reading a search string. This means traditional keyword targeting doesn't map directly onto LLM ad formats. What matters instead is query category affinity and response context. The measurement question is also different: traditional search ads measure clicks and conversions with high precision; LLM ads currently measure primarily impressions and interaction rates, with attribution models still maturing.

MENA readiness — is the Arabic audience there yet?

Arabic-language usage of AI interfaces is growing rapidly but remains a fraction of English-language usage. Perplexity's Arabic query volume is estimated at under 5% of its total. ChatGPT's Arabic usage is growing faster — particularly in Saudi Arabia and the UAE — but is still dominated by younger, tech-literate demographics. For most MENA brands targeting broad consumer audiences in Jordan, Egypt, or Morocco, the addressable Arabic AI search audience is not yet at a scale that justifies significant paid placement investment. The exception is B2B and professional services brands targeting decision-makers in GCC markets, where AI interface adoption among executives is materially higher.

How to prepare now even if you're not buying yet

The brands that will have the best outcomes when LLM advertising scales are those building organic AI citation now. A brand that is already being cited in Perplexity and ChatGPT responses for its category will have a significant quality signal advantage when paid AI placement becomes available at scale — because the AI will already associate the brand with authority in that topic. Invest in GEO now to build organic AI presence; the paid channel will follow the organic authority. Our Paid Ads Agency in Amman Jordan team is actively monitoring all LLM ad product releases and will integrate them into client strategies as MENA targeting capabilities become available.

"The brands watching LLM advertising from the sidelines waiting for it to 'become mainstream' are repeating the mistake brands made with social media advertising in 2010. The ones investing in understanding the format now will have structural advantages when the inventory scales."

Stay Ahead of the LLM Advertising Curve

LLM ad formats are evolving faster than most agencies are tracking. Our Paid Ads Agency in Amman Jordan actively monitors all LLM ad product releases — Perplexity, Copilot, Google AI Overviews, and OpenAI search — and integrates them into MENA client strategies as Arabic-market targeting becomes viable. Contact us to add LLM readiness to your paid media roadmap.