Local Memo: Monetizing AI Search, ChatGPT Shopping and Group Chat

The News: Google has started showing ads within AI Mode responses — previously an ad-free experience. These ad placements, labeled “Sponsored,” are now appearing for many users alongside AI-generated responses.

Courtesy Bleeping Computer

What This Means: Google’s decision to add ads in AI answers shows that AI Mode is here to stay. By integrating ads, Google is making AI search feel more like its traditional interface, signaling long-term confidence in the format.

Unlike ChatGPT, which relies on subscriptions to stay ad-free (for now), Google is betting that users will accept ads as a trade-off for free AI-powered answers.

For brands, this creates a new way to gain visibility inside AI results. As paid placements appear alongside organic answers, marketers should ensure their business data is structured and optimized to compete in both paid and organic AI experiences.

ChatGPT Shopping Tools Evolve — What Local Marketers Should Know

The News: OpenAI has introduced a new shopping research feature that allows ChatGPT users to enter conversational prompts for product discovery. The tool scans product pages, reviews, and pricing information to deliver curated recommendations directly within ChatGPT, helping users compare options and make purchase decisions without leaving the chat.

What This Means: This update pulls more of the product comparison journey into one place. As ChatGPT takes on more “which one should I buy?” research, a larger share of early-stage discovery could happen without a traditional search click.

For retailers and affiliate publishers, this raises the stakes for inclusion. Visibility will depend on how well product data and web pages are represented and optimized within OpenAI’s shopping system.

More broadly, for marketers, it signals a continued shift toward AI-driven discovery that reduces reliance on search engines. To stay visible, brands should ensure product and service information is accurate, structured, and optimized for AI contexts, so it can surface naturally within these conversational shopping experiences.

ChatGPT Launches Group Chats Globally

The News: OpenAI has introduced group chat functionality globally, allowing ChatGPT users to invite up to 20 people into a single conversation thread alongside the AI chatbot. The rollout spans Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans. Participants can collaborate with each other and the AI, for example planning group travel, creating documents, or brainstorming, while ChatGPT dynamically determines when to participate in the conversation.

What This Means: This update shifts ChatGPT from a one-on-one assistant into a shared collaboration platform. For local marketers, this means that AI interactions can now happen in group contexts such as families, friends, or co-workers rather than individual sessions. As group-based AI usage grows, businesses should ensure that their location, service, and event data are ready to surface in collaborative conversational settings. Visibility will depend not only on ranking in search but also on how well businesses appear in group AI interactions.

Google’s Nano Banana Pro Redefines AI Image Generation

The News: Google has launched Nano Banana Pro, a new AI image-generation model powered by Gemini 3 Pro. It creates high-quality, context-aware visuals with 2K and 4K resolution, supports multilingual text, blends multiple images, and integrates directly with Google Search for more relevant creative outputs.

What This Means: For marketers, this signals a new era of AI-powered visual content. Nano Banana Pro makes it easier to generate branded, high-quality images that align with campaigns and local markets. As visuals become central to search and engagement, brands should focus on consistent, optimized creative assets that reinforce visibility and storytelling across AI-driven platforms.