Pinterest has introduced Ask Pinterest, an experimental standalone app that uses conversational AI to provide personalized shopping ideas and recommendations. The limited-access service allows users to submit complex requests in natural language instead of relying only on traditional keyword searches.
The company also announced new AI tools for advertisers ahead of Cannes Lions, including Business Assistant, Pinterest Model Context Protocol, and an updated Performance+ creative system. These products use Pinterest’s data on user interests, preferences, trends, and shopping intent.
Ask Pinterest Handles Multistep Shopping Requests
Ask Pinterest is designed for requests that may require several decisions, such as planning a dinner party within a budget, choosing a personal gift, or furnishing a room over time. The service retains context between sessions, allowing users to continue an earlier conversation without starting again.
People who sign in can receive answers based on their saved Pins and Boards. The app draws on Pinterest’s Taste Graph, an internal system that connects users with their interests and visual preferences.
Pinterest made Ask Pinterest a separate web app so it can test the service without changing the main platform. It is available to a limited number of users through mobile and desktop browsers, according to the company’s official announcement.
The company said lessons from the experiment could support future AI features inside its primary app. Ask Pinterest focuses on visual recommendations while offering the conversational interface commonly associated with AI assistants.
New AI Tools Support Advertiser Campaigns
Pinterest is testing Business Assistant within Ads Manager and on mobile in the United States. The AI assistant can display advertising trends, recommend Pins to promote, monitor campaign performance, and notify advertisers about possible optimization steps.
Unlike a text-only chatbot, Business Assistant presents information through charts and visual examples. It can show how interest in a search topic has changed and identify Pins connected with that trend.
Pinterest also introduced Pinterest Model Context Protocol, an infrastructure layer that connects its advertising data with external AI agents and marketing tools. It provides secure access to campaign information, analytics, keyword data, and Pinterest signals related to taste and purchase intent.
The system is being developed with partners including PMG, Pacvue, Dentsu, Havas, Innovid by Mediaocean, and Omnicom’s Jump450. Advertisers can use compatible AI tools to monitor and manage Pinterest campaigns without repeatedly switching platforms.
Performance+ Selects Ad Assets for Each Impression
Pinterest’s updated Performance+ creative system uses a new AI model to compare multiple advertising assets and select the version most likely to perform for each impression. Testing produced 7.5% more clicks than the previous system, which relied on one creative variation.
The model is available globally alongside new ad-review controls and more detailed creative performance reports. Pinterest Chief Business Officer Lee Brown said discovery would increasingly depend on context, user taste, and trusted recommendations rather than keywords alone.
Featured image credits: Plann
For more stories like it, click the +Follow button at the top of this page to follow us.