Snapchat launches AI-powered sponsored ads in chat

Snapchat announced on Tuesday that it is rolling out “AI Sponsored Snaps,” a new advertising format that allows users to interact directly with brands’ AI agents. Sponsored Snaps are ads placed directly within the app’s main Chat tab. Until now, users could not interact with these advertisements. With the launch of AI Sponsored Snaps, users will be able to perform actions such as asking questions and receiving product recommendations directly from the automated conversational agents.

To support this shift toward conversational advertising, Snapchat is leveraging high engagement rates and massive messaging volume within its interface. The company says that 85% of users engage regularly in the Chat feed, and users sent over 950 billion chats in Q1 2026 alone. Messaging is highly active among younger demographics; Snapchat reports that 57% of teen users message others daily, including four in 10 who do so several times a day.

The new format aims to build on the momentum of existing Sponsored Snaps, which Snapchat reports already deliver strong performance metrics:

• A 22% increase in conversions
• A 20% lower cost per action

The company notes that its community is already open to conversational AI, pointing out that over half a billion users have messaged Snapchat’s own AI chatbot since its launch in 2023. For brands, the new format provides a direct channel to reach Snapchat’s nearly one billion monthly active users, allowing companies to deploy their own AI agents to drive engagement and purchases.

Ajit Mohan, chief business officer at Snap, framed the rollout as a strategic shift toward conversational commerce. “Conversation is becoming the most valuable real estate in advertising. AI is accelerating that shift, turning chat into the place where people discover products, ask questions, and make decisions in real time. The real opportunity isn’t just putting ads into those environments, it’s designing formats that feel native to how people already talk,” Mohan said.

Why it matters

This launch signals a broader industry shift where social platforms are attempting to transform messaging interfaces from simple communication tools into active hubs for product discovery and real-time consumer decision-making.