Mi-3
23 Apr 2026
Australia’s University of New England is testing ChatGPT advertising in a first-of-its-kind pilot with OpenAI and dentsu.
Michaela Lobb, Director of Marketing for UNE, stated, "We’re not waiting for the market to catch up, we’re actively shaping it. This pilot positions UNE as first to market in using conversational AI as a performance channel. Working with dentsu and Carat is critical to that success, where we’re testing and scaling adaptive channels that sit alongside our core media ecosystem, building capability in environments where behaviour is already shifting."
Lobb further commented, "For UNE, this is a natural evolution. We’ve been pioneering distance education for over 70 years. Now we’re applying that same mindset to AI, opening up new, more intuitive pathways for people to find their way into higher education, be it young people or learners at any stage of life."
She added, "This isn’t experimentation for the sake of it. It’s about understanding, in real time, what drives engagement, intent and action, whilst using that to build a more responsive, performance-led student journey."