AI Chat May Ask Sponsored Clarifying Questions in the Future

Large language models, or current AI chats, could in the future present users with follow-up questions paid for by advertisers, suggest American researchers in their new work. The idea connects traditional search engine advertising with the transition to conversational AI in a new economic model.

Currently, a search engine displays ads directly based on the keyword entered by the user. The problem is that a short search query often leaves the true intention unclear. In conversational AI, a large language model can first ask clarifying follow-up questions that help understand what the user is really looking for. The study examines what would happen if some of these follow-up questions were sponsored — selected through an auction by advertisers.

The authors consider two key questions: how such "suggestion slots" should be allocated among advertisers, and how the new system would work together with the traditional ad auction, which starts when the user's intention has been clarified. In practice, this means two consecutive phases: first, an auction for the right to present a clarifying sponsored question, then a regular auction for actual ad slots.

The work sets theoretical frameworks for a new advertising model at a time when the search experience is shifting more towards a conversation rather than typing individual keywords. It raises both economic opportunities and the question of who gets to shape the options presented to the user in situations where the user's real need is not yet clear.

Source: Sponsored Questions and How to Auction Them, ArXiv (AI).