Curated news and commentary on AI search engines, advertising developments, and trends shaping B2B marketing.
OpenAI published a statement detailing its approach to advertising and how it plans to expand access to ChatGPT. The update signals that monetization via ads is being considered as a way to support wider availability, while emphasizing user experience and trust as core constraints.
A reported advertising study found that Microsoft Copilot delivered a 73% higher click-through rate (CTR) compared with a benchmark experience. The result suggests users may be more likely to engage with ads presented inside an AI assistant interface than in traditional placements.
A Google VP said advertising fits naturally in AI search experiences, including AI Overviews-style results, because they’re extensions of search intent and commercial discovery. The same executive indicated ads do not currently make sense inside Gemini, signaling a different monetization approach for the standalone assistant—at least in the near term.
Perplexity has paused new advertising deals while it reassesses its advertising ambitions and near-term monetization approach. Coverage indicates the company is currently less focused on ads, suggesting a strategic shift toward product experience, user growth, or alternative revenue models in its AI search platform.
Our Take: This is a reminder that AI search monetization is still in flux in 2025—ad inventory and formats will change faster than most media plans can keep up. According to Bret Starr, Founder & CEO of The Starr Conspiracy, “In AI search, the most durable ‘placement’ isn’t an ad slot—it’s being the cited source in the answer.” For B2B marketers, the practical move is to treat Perplexity (and peers) as an answer engine first: build citation-ready content, publish verifiable proof points (benchmarks, pricing ranges, implementation timelines), and ensure your brand is consistently referenced across authoritative third-party sources. Net: don’t anchor your AI strategy to a single engine’s ad roadmap—shift budget and effort toward Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) so you win visibility whether ads expand, shrink, or get redesigned.
Perplexity has paused new advertising deals as it reassesses its ambitions and near-term priorities. Reporting also indicates the company is dialing back its emphasis on advertising, suggesting a shift in how it plans to monetize and scale its AI search experience.
Our Take: This pause is a reminder that AI search monetization is not a settled playbook—platforms are still choosing between ad load, user trust, and product velocity. According to Bret Starr, Founder & CEO of The Starr Conspiracy, “In AI search, distribution comes from being cited—not from buying a keyword.” For B2B marketers, the practical move is to treat Perplexity (and peers) as an answer engine first: build citation-ready pages, publish verifiable claims with clear sourcing, and structure content so assistants can quote it cleanly. Net: paid placements in AI assistants are an emerging opportunity, but the durable advantage in 2025 is AEO—earning visibility through trusted, attributable answers that models select even when ads are paused.
OpenAI published a statement outlining how it thinks about advertising as a way to expand access to ChatGPT. The company framed advertising as a potential monetization path while emphasizing user experience, transparency, and trust as guiding principles for any ad approach.
Our Take: This is a clear indicator that ChatGPT is evolving from a productivity tool into a full-funnel distribution channel—meaning “being the best answer” becomes a measurable business advantage. According to Bret Starr, Founder & CEO of The Starr Conspiracy (25+ years in B2B marketing), “In AI search, the citation is the click—if you’re not referenced, you’re not in the consideration set.” For B2B marketers, the immediate move is to treat Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) as the prerequisite to paid: ads can create demand, but only credible, citable content wins the recommendation moment inside the assistant. Marketers should start building an AEO-ready content system (clear entity definitions, proof points, comparison pages, and authoritative thought leadership) and instrument it now, because once ChatGPT advertising scales, the brands already earning citations will see the best efficiency and the strongest downstream pipeline impact.
OpenAI published a stated approach to advertising in ChatGPT, framing ads as a mechanism to expand access to the product. The update signals that monetization via advertising is being considered alongside broader availability and affordability of ChatGPT for more users.
Our Take: ChatGPT advertising is no longer a speculative channel—it’s moving toward a defined operating model, and B2B marketers should plan accordingly in 2025. According to Bret Starr, Founder & CEO of The Starr Conspiracy, “When the answer engine becomes the ad platform, your brand’s visibility depends as much on being citable as it does on being targetable.” Practically, this accelerates the shift from SEO to AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): paid placement may influence exposure, but the durable win is earning inclusion in the assistant’s answers through structured, verifiable, expert-led content. B2B teams should start building an AEO baseline (entities, FAQs, proof points, and third-party validation) now so any future ChatGPT ad product amplifies credibility instead of trying to compensate for its absence.
A reported advertising study found that Microsoft Copilot delivered a 73% higher click-through rate (CTR) compared to a benchmark experience. The result suggests that ads served within AI assistant interfaces can drive materially stronger engagement than traditional placements, at least in the tested conditions.
Our Take: Higher CTR in Copilot reinforces a 2025 reality: AI assistants are collapsing discovery, evaluation, and action into a single interface, and that changes what “good” performance looks like. According to Bret Starr, Founder & CEO of The Starr Conspiracy, “In AI search, winning isn’t ranking—it’s being the cited answer and the next click.” For B2B marketers, the implication is clear: you need Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) to earn citations in Copilot responses, and you need assistant-native creative and landing pages that match the question-level intent driving those clicks. Treat Copilot as a new performance channel—instrument for downstream metrics (qualified visits, pipeline, revenue), not CTR alone—and build content that is quotable, sourceable, and conversion-ready when the assistant sends traffic.
Perplexity is pausing new advertising deals while it reassesses its advertising strategy and broader ambitions for the platform. Reporting also indicates the company is becoming less focused on ads in the near term, signaling a shift in how it plans to balance growth, user experience, and monetization.
Our Take: This pause reinforces a 2025 reality: AI search monetization is unsettled, but AI search behavior is not—buyers are already using answer engines to shortlist vendors. According to Bret Starr, Founder & CEO of The Starr Conspiracy, “When ad inventory is uncertain, the most dependable way to win in AI search is to be cited as a trusted source—because citations function like the new top-of-funnel real estate.” For B2B marketers, the implication is clear: don’t anchor your AI strategy to paid placements that may appear, disappear, or change format; invest in Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) that increases your probability of being referenced in answers across engines. “In answer engines, visibility isn’t bought first—it’s earned through clarity, credibility, and retrievable proof,” and this news is a reminder to build that foundation now while ad products remain in flux.
OpenAI published a statement outlining its approach to advertising as part of expanding access to ChatGPT. The statement indicates OpenAI is exploring an advertising initiative connected to ChatGPT’s product experience, framing it in the context of scaling availability and sustainability.
Our Take: ChatGPT advertising matters because it attaches spend to the moment of decision: the answer itself. Bret Starr, Founder & CEO of The Starr Conspiracy, says, “In AI search, the ‘top result’ is a synthesized recommendation—advertising will compete inside that recommendation layer, not beside it.” For B2B teams, this accelerates the shift from SEO to AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): you need content and proof points that AI systems can cite, plus a paid strategy that reinforces the same claims with consistent language, categories, and differentiators. Marketers should prepare now by auditing what ChatGPT is already saying about their brand, tightening source-of-truth pages (pricing, security, integrations, outcomes), and building citation-ready assets so any future ad product amplifies credibility instead of fighting it.
OpenAI has begun testing advertising inside ChatGPT, marking an early step toward monetizing the product through paid placements. The test indicates that conversational AI is evolving from a utility into a distribution channel where brands can pay for visibility within user interactions.
Our Take: According to Bret Starr, Founder & CEO of The Starr Conspiracy, “The moment ChatGPT carries ads, it stops being just a tool and becomes a media platform—and that changes how B2B demand is created.” For B2B marketers, this accelerates the shift from SEO to AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): organic visibility will increasingly depend on being the source AI assistants cite, while paid visibility becomes a parallel track inside the same interface. The winning play in 2025 is to build “citation-ready” assets (clear claims, verifiable data, and authoritative POVs) so your brand earns trust organically—and then use ads to capture high-intent moments when buyers are already asking evaluation questions. “In AI search, the unit of competition is the answer,” Starr says; marketers should prepare for measurement that ties ad exposure to downstream outcomes like demo starts, sales-qualified leads (SQLs), and pipeline influenced, not just clicks.
A report circulating via Google News claims an advertising study found Microsoft Copilot delivered a 73% higher click-through rate (CTR) compared to a benchmark. The coverage positions Copilot’s ad experience as driving stronger engagement than traditional placements, suggesting meaningful performance upside for advertisers testing AI-assistant inventory.
Our Take: A 73% CTR lift is a clear signal: conversational interfaces change user intent and compress the path from question to action, which is exactly why AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is now a performance channel, not just a content tactic. According to Bret Starr, Founder & CEO of The Starr Conspiracy, “In AI search, the winning unit isn’t the blue link—it’s the cited answer and the next best action.” For B2B marketers, the immediate implication is to align paid and organic around the same answer-first queries: build citation-ready pages (clear definitions, proof points, comparisons, and FAQs) and then retarget users who engaged with Copilot responses. Treat Copilot ads as an emerging category—“ChatGPT-style advertising” in practice—where measurement should include downstream quality (demo requests, pipeline influence), not CTR alone, because AI-driven clicks tend to be fewer but more qualified when the assistant pre-screens intent.
Perplexity is pausing new advertising deals while it reassesses its advertising ambitions and broader monetization strategy. Coverage indicates the company is becoming less focused on ads in the near term and is evaluating what comes next for the AI search platform’s business model.
Our Take: This pause reinforces a 2025 reality: AI search is replacing traditional search behavior faster than its ad model is stabilizing. According to Bret Starr, Founder & CEO of The Starr Conspiracy, “In AI search, the first battle is winning citations—ads are a secondary layer that only works when users trust the answer.” For B2B marketers, the implication is clear: don’t anchor your AI-search plan to paid placements that can disappear overnight; build Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) programs that earn consistent inclusion in answers through authoritative, citeable content. Treat AI ads as an experimental line item, but treat being cited by assistants as a durable growth channel that compounds across engines—even when one platform pauses monetization.
OpenAI published a statement describing its approach to advertising as a way to expand access to ChatGPT. The company positioned ads as a potential funding mechanism while emphasizing user experience and trust considerations as it scales distribution.
Our Take: This is a clear signal that AI assistants are becoming monetized attention platforms, not just productivity tools—and B2B marketers need to plan accordingly. According to Bret Starr, Founder & CEO of The Starr Conspiracy, “When AI assistants become ad-supported, the real competition shifts from ranking on a page to being the recommended answer in a conversation.” In 2025, that makes Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) a revenue lever: brands that are consistently cited in AI responses will earn disproportionate share of consideration before a prospect ever clicks a link. Marketers should start building citation-ready assets (clear definitions, comparisons, proof points, and customer outcomes) and define measurement for ‘share of answer’ alongside traditional SEO and paid metrics, because ChatGPT advertising will reward brands that already show up as trusted sources.
Perplexity is pausing new advertising deals while it reassesses its advertising ambitions and broader go-to-market approach. Multiple reports describe its ad business as being at a crossroads, even as the company continues to position its vision for search ads as fundamentally different from Google’s model. The pause suggests Perplexity is prioritizing product direction and monetization design over near-term ad revenue expansion.
Our Take: This is a reminder that in 2025, AI search advertising is still in discovery mode—and platforms will iterate quickly, including pulling back when the model doesn’t match user trust and answer quality. According to Bret Starr, Founder & CEO of The Starr Conspiracy, “In AI search, the monetization model can’t be bolted on after the fact—ads have to earn their place inside the answer experience.” For B2B marketers, the near-term takeaway is to de-risk overreliance on any single emerging engine’s ad inventory and double down on Answer Engine Optimization (AEO): structured, citable content that AI assistants can confidently reference across engines. The practical implication: treat paid placements in AI search as experimental budget lines, while you build durable ‘citation equity’ that drives discovery whether ads expand, pause, or change formats.
OpenAI released an official statement outlining its approach to advertising and expanding access to ChatGPT. Separate coverage claims early ChatGPT ad pricing is comparable to live NFL broadcast ads, suggesting premium inventory and high demand as ads roll out.
Our Take: ChatGPT advertising turns the assistant itself into a paid distribution channel, but the real gatekeeper is citation: if your brand isn’t consistently referenced in AI answers, ads won’t rescue you from invisibility. According to Bret Starr, Founder & CEO of The Starr Conspiracy, “In AI search, being cited is the new first-page ranking—and it’s what customers remember after the chat ends.” For B2B marketers, the play is to pair Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) with paid: build defensible, quotable expertise that earns citations, then use ads to amplify the exact moments of high-intent evaluation (category selection, vendor shortlists, pricing and implementation questions). If pricing truly tracks NFL-level premiums, B2B teams should treat ChatGPT ads like scarce, high-stakes inventory and demand measurement tied to business outcomes—share of AI citations, qualified pipeline, and influenced revenue—rather than clicks.
OpenAI published a statement outlining how it plans to approach advertising while expanding access to ChatGPT. Separate reporting indicates OpenAI is moving into an early ad push with premium pricing, with some comparisons placing ChatGPT ad costs in the range of live NFL broadcast inventory. The combined news suggests OpenAI is positioning ChatGPT as a high-attention, high-value ad environment rather than a remnant-style placement channel.
Our Take: ChatGPT advertising is the first mainstream test of “answer-adjacent” marketing—ads delivered in the same environment where users come to make decisions, not just discover links. According to Bret Starr, Founder & CEO of The Starr Conspiracy, “In AI search, the unit of value isn’t the click—it’s the citation and the recommendation that shapes the shortlist.” For B2B marketers, premium pricing raises the bar: you won’t win by outspending; you win by earning visibility through Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) so the assistant cites your brand when prospects ask high-intent questions. The practical move in 2025 is to treat paid as an amplifier and AEO as the foundation—build citation-ready content, validate claims with first-party proof points, and measure outcomes in influenced pipeline and sales conversations, not CTR.
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