Sponsored Intelligence Tasks

AdCP Sponsored Intelligence task reference. Four tasks covering the full session lifecycle: si_get_offering, si_initiate_session, si_send_message, and si_terminate_session with MCP and A2A transport examples.

Experimental. Sponsored Intelligence (si_get_offering, si_initiate_session, si_send_message, si_terminate_session) is part of AdCP 3.0 as an experimental surface — it may change between 3.x releases with at least 6 weeks’ notice. Sellers implementing any of these tasks MUST declare sponsored_intelligence.core in experimental_features. See experimental status for the full contract.

The Sponsored Intelligence Protocol defines four tasks for managing conversational brand experiences:

Session Lifecycle

Two Entry Points

With pre-session lookup (dotted line): Host calls si_get_offering first to show products before consent. The offering_token carries what was shown into the session.

Direct session (solid line): Host calls si_initiate_session directly. Brand agent shows products as part of the conversation and tracks them internally.

Both are valid. Use pre-session lookup for sponsored search results where you want to preview products before asking the user to engage.

Tasks

Task	Description	Initiator
si_get_offering	Get offering details, availability, and matching products (anonymous)	Host
si_initiate_session	Start a conversation with a brand agent	Host
si_send_message	Exchange messages within an active session	Host
si_terminate_session	End the session with appropriate handoff	Either

Transport Options

SI tasks work over both MCP and A2A protocols:

MCP Transport

{
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "si_initiate_session",
    "arguments": {
      "intent": "User wants to fly to Boston next Tuesday morning",
      "identity": { /* ... */ }
    }
  }
}

A2A Transport

{
  "task": "si_initiate_session",
  "payload": {
    "intent": "User wants to fly to Boston next Tuesday morning",
    "identity": { /* ... */ }
  }
}

Common Patterns

Minimal Session (No Identity)

For anonymous browsing without personalization:

{
  "intent": "User interested in product information",
  "identity": {
    "consent_granted": false,
    "anonymous_session_id": "anon_xyz789"
  }
}

Full Identity Session

For personalized experiences with consented PII:

{
  "intent": "User wants to book a flight",
  "identity": {
    "consent_granted": true,
    "consent_timestamp": "2026-01-18T10:30:00Z",
    "consent_scope": ["name", "email", "shipping_address"],
    "user": {
      "email": "[e-mail]",
      "name": "Jane Smith"
    }
  }
}

Campaign-Triggered Session

When SI is invoked as part of a media buy:

{
  "intent": "User searching for flights to Boston",
  "media_buy_id": "media_buy_q1_promo",
  "placement": "chatgpt_search",
  "offering_id": "premium_upgrade_offer",
  "identity": {
    "consent_granted": true,
    "user": { "email": "[e-mail]" }
  }
}