Brands test new ad format aimed at AI chatbots, sparking safety debate

Mobian and Time have launched a pilot that serves text-heavy, FAQ-style advertisements on simplified web pages designed for AI agents rather than human readers. Brands such as Ally Bank and the Project Management Institute are using these "Agent Ads" to influence how their information appears in chatbot responses from services like ChatGPT and Gemini. Ally Bank’s chief marketing officer noted that AI-driven traffic converts at a rate 3.5 times higher than traditional search, and overall AI referrals have risen ninefold year over year.

The experiment has triggered a heated discussion on social media about the legitimacy of the practice, the risk of malicious actors creating fake ad networks, and whether AI providers will eventually block such content. Critics cite past PR scandals as cautionary tales, while proponents argue that transparent, clearly labeled ads can build trust. Mobian’s CEO emphasized that advertising shapes the data used to train models, and all ads undergo the same legal and compliance checks as consumer-facing campaigns.