South Africa, Nov. 13 -- ChatGPT Ads landed in South Africa carrying exactly that expectation.

Within days, LinkedIn was full of agencies announcing themselves as ChatGPT Ads experts. Clients started asking whether they should be moving budget. For transparency, many marketers were worried about being late to the party.

The question is not whether ChatGPT Ads are worth testing. The bigger question is whether we are witnessing the start of a fundamental shift in how people discover, evaluate and choose brands. If consumers are moving from searching to asking, the implications extend far beyond a new media channel.

What changed?

On 21 October, ChatGPT Ads opened to South African advertisers.

Brands can now buy ads through OpenAI's self...