Snapchat is bringing AI-powered conversational ads to its app

Snapchat announced on Tuesday that it will roll out “AI-powered Snaps,” which will allow users to interact directly with brands’ AI agents. Promo shots are ads that are placed directly in the main chat tab of the app. Until now, users have been unable to interact with these ads, but with the launch of AI-powered ads, they will be able to do things like ask questions and get recommendations.

Of course, not everyone will be familiar with AI-sponsored ads, as they introduce AI into another part of the Snapchat experience. Additionally, not everyone wants more advanced advertising.

However, Snapchat said in a blog post that its “community is not only open to conversational AI, they are actually embracing it,” given that more than half a billion users have sent messages to its chatbot since its launch in 2023.

“Conversation has become the most valuable real estate in advertising,” Ajit Mohan, Snap’s chief business officer, said in a blog post. “AI is accelerating this transformation, turning chat into the place where people discover products, ask questions, and make decisions in real time. The real opportunity lies not just in placing ads in those environments, but in designing formats that feel native to the way people actually talk.”

For brands, AI-powered snaps provide access to Snapchat’s nearly 1 billion monthly active users. They can bring their own AI agents to the platform to boost engagement and purchases.

Snapchat says the new format builds on the momentum of Promoted Snaps, which are already increasing conversions by 22% while lowering cost per action by approximately 20%. With the new format, they can engage users with personalized, AI-powered interactions right where they’re already having conversations.

The company says that 85% of users regularly participate in the chat feed, and that users sent more than 950 billion conversations in the first quarter of 2026 alone. Additionally, 57% of teen Snapchat users message others daily, including 4 in 10 who do so multiple times a day.