c results, most likely separated similarly to how Google and Bing currently distinguish ads on search. So, why does this matter? Retailers can worry about it when it comes, right? Wrong! Retailers need to prepare now so they are ready to pounce when ads launch, and here is why. In 2003, when Google launched Adwords in Australia, I was writing a final-year university thesis on my family’s business, The Party People. I became aware of Google launching in Australia and started advertising as soon as it became available, unknowingly becoming Google’s first advertiser in the country. The cost was 1 cent per click. That is no joke. In the early days of a competitive bidding marketplace, awareness is low and people take time to come on board. Few advertisers mean low demand, which means low prices and advertising arbitrage. It’s the digital equivalent of a gold rush. It’s not about who spends the most; those who arrive first will reap the rewards.But it’s not enough to be early once. I made it a habit to get on every new beta Google released. Product ads, location extensions, dynamic sitelinks — every single new feature gave early adopters an edge over those who had not adapted their strategy yet. Again, I paid 1 cent per click for product ads, while extensions gave my ads double the real estate of my competitors’ ads, simply because I had them before others realised they were available. As competitors started using these services, the prices went up. However, I still had an edge because I was refining and making my ads more efficient and effective while they were just learning. I had the benefit of historical data while they were figuring out what this new world of digital advertising was all about. I saw the arbitrage of being early, so I took this to another level with Bing. When I first learned about the Bing platform in the US, I contacted them and asked them if I could be their first Australian advertiser. I was told, “No, we are not doing Australia yet”, but a few months later, I noticed they had launched in Asia. I contacted them again and got another “no”. However, this time I asked, “Can’t I advertise in the US and geotarget Australia?” They responded that it might work if I did it out of Singapore, and before long, I was advertising with Bing Singapore geotargeting Australia, and for quite some time, I was the only advertiser, once again paying 1 cent per click. Fast forward to today, and it’s a different landscape. Digital advertising has matured. It’s expensive. It’s crowded. It’s a battleground where only the best offers that are the most data-driven, highly optimised and creatively refined survive. But the underlying economics haven’t changed, just the platform. And that’s why I believe the next major advertising frontier is already unfolding quietly in the background: AI advertising. From search to generative: A platform shift is coming Search advertising has dominated digital for nearly two decades, but the winds are shifting. Platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, Bard and others are becoming the new gateways to information and decision-making.I heard a stat at the National Online Retail Association’s (NORA) Gen AI summit that six months ago 1 per cent of product searches were done with AI, then it was 3 per cent, then 6 per cent, and now, it is currently estimated at 10 per cent. We used to say, “Just Google it”, now we’re saying, “Just ask chat (GPT).” As our search volume shifts to AI, advertising dollars will shrink, so I cannot see any way this plays out without ads appearing in AI results.I even asked ChatGPT what it thinks of my theory, and it agreed with me. We may not see traditional ad slots in AI interfaces yet, but they’re coming. Whether through contextual suggestions, sponsored responses, or native product integrations, advertising will find its way into generative AI because that’s where attention is going.In fact, AI will understand our “intent” better than traditional search. It will know if we are just searching for ideas or really looking to buy. How will an ad platform that is not keyword-driven but intent-driven handle that? I would suggest AI will handle it for the advertiser and optimise for the intent. In fact, I recently created a mock-up of what advertising might look like within a tool like ChatGPT complete with a branded sidebar and AI-powered product prompts. While tongue-in-cheek, the image speaks to a very real future. The opportunity for retailers is massive if you’re early Just as Google, Bing and Facebook offered early movers an unfair advantage in the 2000s and 2010s, AI-driven platforms will reward the next generation of pioneers. My advice? When the next platform arrives, be early. Test, learn, and scale before the crowd shows up. Treat AI not just as a tool, but as a new channel of influence. The winners in every tech wave aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets; they’re the ones who move fast, stay curious, adapt quickly and execute decisively. So here’s my final question: Do you believe AI tools like ChatGPT will launch advertising? And if they do, will your brand be ready, or playing catch-up? Further reading: A step-by-step guide to winning search in the age of generative AI