{"id":1401,"date":"2025-12-07T15:27:50","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T15:27:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=1401"},"modified":"2025-12-07T15:27:50","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T15:27:50","slug":"openai-says-its-turned-off-app-suggestions-that-look-like-ads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=1401","title":{"rendered":"OpenAI says it\u2019s turned off app suggestions that look like ads"},"content":{"rendered":"


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While OpenAI continues to insist that there are currently no ads \u2014 or tests for advertising \u2014 live in ChatGPT, the company\u2019s chief research officer Mark Chen also acknowledged<\/a> that the company \u201cfell short\u201d with recent promotional messages and is working to improve the experience.<\/p>\n

Chen and other OpenAI executives were responding to posts from ChatGPT\u2019s paying subscribers who complained about seeing promotional messages for companies like Peloton<\/a> and Target<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In response, the company said it was only testing ways to show apps<\/a> built on the ChatGPT app platform that it announced in October<\/a>, with \u201cno financial component\u201d to those suggestions. (One of the users who\u2019d complained initially about the ads responded skeptically<\/a>, writing, \u201cBruhhh\u2026 Don\u2019t insult your paying users.\u201d)<\/p>\n

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I’m in ChatGPT (paid Plus subscription), asking about Windows BitLocker<\/p>\n

and it’s F-ing showing me ADS TO SHOP AT TARGET.<\/p>\n

Yeah, screw this. Lose all your users. pic.twitter.com\/2Z5AG8pnlJ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Benjamin De Kraker (@BenjaminDEKR) December 3, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Similarly, ChatGPT head Nick Turley posted Friday<\/a> that he was \u201cseeing lots of confusion about ads rumors in ChatGPT.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are no live tests for ads \u2013 any screenshots you\u2019ve seen are either not real or not ads,\u201d Turley wrote. \u201cIf we do pursue ads, we\u2019ll take a thoughtful approach. People trust ChatGPT and anything we do will be designed to respect that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier that same day, however, Chen responded<\/a> in a more apologetic tone, acknowledging that the controversy isn\u2019t just a matter of user confusion.<\/p>\n

\u201cI agree that anything that feels like an ad needs to be handled with care, and we fell short,\u201d he wrote. \u201cWe\u2019ve turned off this kind of suggestion while we improve the model\u2019s precision. We\u2019re also looking at better controls so you can dial this down or off if you don\u2019t find it helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Techcrunch event<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSan Francisco<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t|<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOctober 13-15, 2026<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Earlier this year, former Instacart and Facebook executive Fidji Sumo joined OpenAI as CEO of Applications<\/a> and was widely expected to build up the company\u2019s advertising business<\/a>. However, the Wall Street Journal reported<\/a> this week that a recent memo from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman declared a \u201ccode red,\u201d prioritizing work to improve the quality of ChatGPT and pushing back other products including advertising.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n