Should Sellers Optimize for and Advertise in AI?

The following editorial first appeared in the January 19, 2026, issue of the EcommerceBytes Newsflash email newsletter for online sellers.

Now is not the time to get AI fatigue. You may be sick of hearing about agentic assistants and chatboxes every time you turn around, but the platforms on which you sell - as well as search engines - are embracing it. How to optimize for AI will become critical (or at least, how to *try* to optimize).

Platforms are also getting ready to display ads in the AI chat experience. OpenAI will start testing ads in ChatGPT in the coming weeks - "To start, we plan to test ads at the bottom of answers in ChatGPT when there's a relevant sponsored product or service based on your current conversation," it said. "Ads do not influence the answers ChatGPT gives you. Answers are optimized based on what's most helpful to you. Ads are always separate and clearly labeled."

But there are risks to AI, such as inaccurate product videos, as the New York Times pointed out in a recent article when it wrote, "videos that display products must show how to use them correctly." It quoted an Adobe executive working with The Home Depot: "The usage of the product is important to you, so nobody is cutting off their hand with a saw."

A grim reminder indeed.

Note: A subscriber responded to the email editorial with the following message:

"Ai is becoming a scam by the Super rich. 15 yrs ago a search brought you to websites. You picked relevant returns. Now Ai chooses, and returns misleading topics, never hitting the nail on the head. Wake Up!"

Let us know what you think. 

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