Dentsu Joins OpenAI Ad Pilot Program as an Early Test Partner
Published on:
Agency builds on its heritage of leading in performance marketing innovation
NEW YORK, NY (Feb 9, 2026) — Today dentsu has announced that the agency is participating in OpenAIs Ad Pilot Program. Through the program, dentsu will be an early test partner of ads in ChatGPT, enabling key learnings for clients. Dentsu has several clients participating in the test, across verticals including CPG, grocery, hospitality, retail, software and travel.
Open AI is testing ads in ChatGPT for Free and Go users in the U.S., while Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise tiers will remain ad-free experiences. Separate, clearly labeled ads will appear below relevant conversations in ChatGPT, creating a new opportunity to reach users in a highly engaged, high-intent environment.
The partnership is the latest in dentsu’s overarching AI transformation agenda as the global holding company strategically leverages AI as a catalyst for growth and transformation, not just a tool for efficiency.
Will Swayne, Global Practice President - Media and Integrated Solutions, dentsu said, “Dentsu has always been a leader in performance marketing innovation. As an early participant in the OpenAI Ad Pilot Program, we look forward to continuing to accelerate our leading advantage in helping clients to test and learn in this new landscape. We believe in AI for growth and building for the reality that LLMs are the next media frontier. Adopting an AI-native mindset means we continuously transform how we operate—harnessing AI to turn information into advantage, strengthening collaboration and keeping human value at the center, creating impact beyond optimization.”
"We believe ads play an important role in continuing to support broad access to AI,” said Asad Awan, Ads and Monetization lead at OpenAI. "By working closely with partners like dentsu in this pilot, we’re able to thoughtfully test new ad experiences and learn together to ensure ads are separate and clearly distinct, relevant, and useful while maintaining the trust people place in ChatGPT."
The news follows dentsu’s recent launch of Generative Audiences, the company’s proprietary intelligence engine. Generative Audiences, powered by dentsu.AI and underpinned by large language models (LLMs) within dentsu.Connect, is the first solution to combine deterministic precision with the scale of AI-generated, individual level personas to create scalable, privacy-conscious, audiences.
###
About dentsu
Dentsu is an integrated growth and transformation partner to the world’s leading organizations. Founded in 1901 in Tokyo, Japan, and now present in approximately 120 countries and regions, it has a proven track record of nurturing and developing innovations, combining the talents of its global network of leadership brands to develop impactful and integrated growth solutions for clients. Dentsu delivers end-to-end experience transformation (EX) by integrating its services across Media, CXM and Creative, while its business transformation (BX) mindset pushes the boundaries of transformation and sustainable growth for brands, people and society.
Dentsu, Innovating to Impact.
Find out more: