Snapchat launched a new kind of ad that will bring sponsored artificial intelligence chatbots into users’ inbox and let users talk to the promotional bots in-stream.
The new option is an extension of Sponsored Snaps, with the custom branded AI chatbots to appear among the ad recipient’s other Snaps.
Snapchat users will be able to talk to the chatbots using suggested prompts and ask follow-up questions to learn more about brand and products.
This could be somewhat risky, in that these promotions will be intrusive, within Snap DMs, where users may not like being disrupted by promotions.
But Snap said that bringing these chatbots into the flow of everyday conversation will make the interaction “more immediate, personal, and useful.”
As explained by Snap: “On Snapchat, Chat is where millions of people connect with the people who matter most — and increasingly, where they engage with AI. Snapchatters sent over 950 billion chats in Q1 2026 alone, and over half a billion Snapchatters have messaged My AI since launch.”
Snap also said that Sponsored Snaps, which it added in September 2024, have thus far proven effective, driving 22% more conversions than other ad options.
In combination, then, sponsored AI chat within Snaps could make sense. But there is still a level of risk.
For example, what happens if various brands take up these campaigns all at once and target the same audience, and suddenly user inboxes are inundated with AI chats, diluting their personal conversations? Combine this with the use of Sponsored Snaps, and it does feel like Snapchat is taking a gamble in allowing brands to infiltrate its key connection surface, which could tarnish the illusion of privacy within that element.
But Snap has the data on Sponsored Snap performance, and it knows that AI is the trend of the moment. Maybe this will end up being a beneficial move.
Or maybe Snapchat just needs more ad opportunities, and it’s willing to live with the potential blowback.
Snapchat’s user growth has stalled in key markets, and it recently announced significant staff cuts, which it said were needed in order to keep the business on track. Perhaps Snap is now looking for ad opportunities wherever it can find them, even if that means intruding on people’s private DMs.
Because there’s plenty of evidence to show that users don’t like sponsored content in their messaging inbox. Just ask Meta, which has tried repeatedly to integrate ads and promoted content into WhatsApp and Messenger, but has faced user backlash every time. Indeed, Meta has even tried branded chatbots in DMs, very much like this new option from Snap. However, Meta quickly shelved the concept, because users didn’t want their personal messages to be over-commercialized.
But that was back in 2016, and a lot has changed on the bot engagement front since then.
Maybe now is the time for a new ad format powered by conversational AI bots.
Snapchat is partnering with Experian for the pilot launch of the new ad option, before opening up its Sponsored AI chatbot ads to all brands.
