India: As artificial intelligence platforms begin testing advertisements and sponsored recommendations within conversational interfaces, marketers are reassessing how influence operates in real time. Unlike traditional digital advertising that relies on segmented audiences and predefined creatives, AI-led conversational marketing responds dynamically to user intent as it unfolds during an interaction.
According to 0101.Today, this shift signals a move away from broadcast-style messaging toward contextual, intent-driven engagement embedded directly within AI conversations.
Explaining this shift, Ajay Verma, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at 0101.Today, said, “AI-led conversational marketing differs from traditional targeted advertising by shifting from message delivery to real-time dialogue. Instead of pushing predefined creatives to segmented audiences, AI understands intent in the moment and responds contextually, helping consumers evaluate options rather than interrupting them. This makes influence feel assistive, not intrusive. Its truly data led intelligent 121 marketing at play. The emergence of Agentic AI will further propagate this, today there are few brands, specially in BFSI space who are the prime movers. Currently seen as experimentative rather than conclusive.”
As conversational AI evolves, the effectiveness of sponsored responses hinges on transparency and user trust. Industry observers note that AI-generated recommendations can quickly lose credibility if perceived as overly commercial or opaque.
Verma added, “Consumers increasingly perceive AI suggestions as advice when the interaction is transparent, relevant, and problem-solving. Trust is built when AI explains why a recommendation is made, aligns with user intent, and avoids over-selling. The biggest reason for failure currently is our eagerness to sell quickly. These are newer tools and tech not magic wands, where the results will be there immediately. When responses feel biased or opaque, they are quickly classified as promotion and lose credibility. Some cosmetic brands have adopted this and are seeing early results. Our advice is to deploy this from an experimentative budget rather than performance, so the outlook is different and the medium does not suffer an early death.”
0101.Today positions itself as a data-driven conversion specialist, working at the intersection of data, media, communication and technology. The firm focuses on improving KPIs across the marketing funnel by integrating brand building, acquisition, retention and analytics into unified growth systems aligned with business outcomes.
With advertising increasingly embedded within AI-powered interactions, industry leaders suggest that disclosure norms and sponsored labelling will play a decisive role in shaping long-term brand equity.
Verma concluded, “Clear labelling of sponsored AI responses will likely strengthen long-term brand value. While it may slightly reduce short-term engagement, transparency reinforces trust and positions brands as credible partners rather than covert advertisers. The internet is full of sponsored content, and the brands that maintain a realistic balance, will see long term success.”
