Snapchat Launches AI-Powered Ads in Chat Feed with Direct Brand Conversations

Snapchat has launched a new advertising format called AI Sponsored Snaps letting users chat directly with brands inside the app’s main Chat feed.

The new feature will strengthen the company’s focus on artificial intelligence and conversational marketing, building on Sponsored Snaps, the adverts already placed in users’ Chat inboxes.

Until now, those ads were one-way messages, but with this update, users can reply, ask questions and receive recommendations from AI agents representing brands.

Snap said the aim is to place advertising inside spaces where people already talk and interact, rather than sending them elsewhere.

Ajit Mohan, chief business officer at Snap Inc., said: “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.”

The company said the format gives advertisers access to Snapchat’s nearly one billion monthly active users. Brands can bring their own AI tools onto the platform and use them to drive awareness, app installs and purchases.

Snapchat also shared new usage figures to support the launch, saying users sent more than 950 billion chats during the first quarter of 2026 alone. The company added that more than half a billion users have messaged its My AI chatbot since it launched in 2023.

According to Snap, 85% of users regularly use the Chat feed. It also said 57% of teenage users send messages daily, while four in ten do so several times a day.

The company further noted that Sponsored Snaps already deliver 22% more conversions with nearly 20% lower cost per action. It added that full-screen ad views generate twice as many conversions compared with some other ad placements.

Snapchat is starting the new product with an alpha launch alongside credit reporting and data firm Experian.

Steve Hartmann, head of Integrated Marketing at Experian, said: “This partnership reflects our commitment to meeting consumers where they are, with trusted insights that empower smarter financial decisions.

“AI Sponsored Snaps delivers a natural, conversational experience, allowing Snapchatters to connect with Experian about credit and money management right where they already feel comfortable. 

“We’re making financial education more accessible and intuitive by becoming part of their everyday conversations.”