September marks the next step for AI in digital marketing: ChatGPT Ads have launched in Germany. At the same time, platforms are integrating AI more deeply into campaign management, commerce and content distribution. Google is automating further parts of search advertising, Meta is expanding its Business Agents, while TikTok and Snapchat are laying the groundwork for agent-based advertising. AI is increasingly evolving from a production tool into part of the infrastructure of digital marketing.
LinkedIn: Relevance Over Automated Engagement
LinkedIn is changing how comments are ranked, placing greater emphasis on relevance rather than chronology. At the same time, the platform is taking action against AI-generated replies and engagement pods. According to LinkedIn, 30 percent of comments posted between April and June were entirely AI-generated.
The new “Post Proofreader” for Premium members fits this approach. Rather than rewriting entire posts with AI, it suggests corrections to existing copy and tracks the changes. LinkedIn is also testing a “Network” tab that exclusively shows posts from connections and followed accounts.
For businesses, the direction is particularly relevant: LinkedIn is attempting to distinguish authentic interaction more clearly from AI-generated activity at scale. The quality and relevance of comments could therefore become even more important for organic visibility.
Instagram & Meta: Business Agents and Agentic Commerce
Meta is expanding its paid business offering. Depending on the subscription tier, “Meta One for Business” combines advanced insights, competitor benchmarking, scheduling and an AI Business Agent.
At the same time, Business Agents are rolling out on Instagram. Public Reels and feed posts are analysed by LLMs based on their topics and tone. “First Draft” can automatically turn existing clips into Reels, while Instagram is also tightening its labelling requirements for AI-generated profiles.
More significant from a strategic perspective is Meta Muse. The AI shopping agent works with Shopify and can negotiate prices. Social commerce is therefore moving towards agentic commerce, where AI systems increasingly take over parts of the purchasing process. Threads is also becoming more relevant for businesses, with Meta introducing dedicated business permissions and expanding ad placements globally.
Google & Search: AI Max Is Becoming the Default
Google is beginning to automatically upgrade eligible campaigns to AI Max. Campaigns using Automatically Created Assets and Broad Match are the first to be affected, with DSA campaigns set to follow in 2027. Google reports an average increase in conversions of seven percent.
For advertisers, this once again shifts the boundary between manual campaign management and platform automation. Reporting and campaign settings therefore deserve close attention, particularly when existing structures are migrated automatically.
Google has also provided an interesting perspective on the GEO debate. Its position is that good SEO is essentially good GEO. According to Google, there is no need to create specific content for its AI-powered answers. Whether the same logic applies to visibility in ChatGPT, Claude and other AI systems remains an open question.
Pinterest, TikTok & YouTube: AI Moves Closer to Advertising and Commerce
Pinterest is connecting visual search more closely with paid media. New Visual Search Ads can appear in search results and Pin close-ups. Performance+ is also gaining Priority Products and self-service A/B testing. For commerce brands in particular, the combination of visual product discovery and direct advertising is worth watching.
TikTok has introduced an “Agentic Hub” for reporting, audience management and budget optimisation alongside Pulse Mentions. It remains unclear when these features will reach Germany. The direction, however, mirrors developments at Google and Meta: operational campaign decisions are increasingly being delegated to AI systems.
YouTube is also expanding its AI and commerce capabilities. At “Made on YouTube 2026”, the platform announced an AI editing assistant for Shorts, new tools for brand partnerships, live auto-dubbing and expanded likeness protection. YouTube is also testing dynamic product tag placement based on viewer engagement.
AI & Marketing Technology: ChatGPT Becomes an Advertising Channel
The most important development of the month is the launch of ChatGPT Ads in Europe. OpenAI has expanded its advertising offering to 31 European countries, including Germany and Austria. Ads are initially being shown to Free and Go users and are labelled as “Sponsored”.
What matters most is not the ad format itself, but the context in which it appears. Instead of relying on a short search query, the preceding conversation can provide signals about what a user is currently interested in. Advertising therefore enters a very different environment from conventional search or social ads.
ChatGPT is not alone in this development. Bing is integrating Shopping Ads directly into Copilot results. Snapchat has introduced an Ads MCP server that allows systems such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini to access advertising data. Amazon is also launching “Geographic Insights and Activation” in Germany, combining regional brand analysis with campaign activation.
Two developments are therefore taking place in parallel: AI assistants are becoming advertising surfaces themselves while also emerging as interfaces through which campaigns can be analysed and, eventually, managed.
Our Assessment of the Month
September makes it clearer than previous months that AI in marketing is moving beyond content production and into infrastructure. The individual models being released matter less than the systems into which they are being integrated.
ChatGPT and Copilot are becoming advertising surfaces. Meta is experimenting with shopping agents. Google is handing more campaign decisions to AI Max. TikTok is developing agent-based optimisation, while Snapchat is connecting AI assistants directly to advertising systems.
For marketing teams, this increasingly becomes a question of governance. As platforms automate more decisions around targeting, creative, budget allocation and delivery, companies need to define which decisions can be delegated to these systems and how their output will be monitored.
What Marketers Should Take Away
ChatGPT Ads now belong on the testing roadmap of European media teams. The channel should not simply be treated as another form of search advertising. Context-based targeting within an ongoing conversation could require different messaging and measurement approaches.
At the same time, companies should assess how deeply AI Max, Meta Business Agents and other agent-based systems are already influencing their campaign processes. Commerce brands should also keep a close eye on Pinterest Visual Search Ads, Meta Muse and Shopping Ads within Copilot.
September makes a development that has been emerging for some time increasingly tangible: AI is no longer limited to creating marketing assets. It is starting to influence which ads are delivered, how campaigns are optimised and how consumers discover and purchase products.
