"App recommendation" or disguised advertisement? ChatGPT Premium users are furious
Premium users report banner-like prompts that resemble ads, while OpenAI insists the system is an app-discovery feature rather than covert advertising.
Frustration has grown among ChatGPT Premium users after reports surfaced of banner-style prompts appearing at the end of ordinary responses, closely resembling embedded advertisements.
OpenAI maintains that these elements are not ads but part of a new mechanism designed to help users discover external applications.
According to screenshots shared online, a paid subscriber received a routine technical answer from the chatbot — followed unexpectedly by a graphic of a shopping bag and the message, “For home and grocery shopping, connect with Target”.
The prompt appeared inside a normal conversation and had no relation to the user's question.
Daniel MacAuley, a senior representative of OpenAI, responded on X, stressing that the feature is not an advertising system but a tool for “external app recommendations”.
He added that the company aims to present such suggestions more “organically” within ChatGPT.
Early pilot partners already include Target, and OpenAI plans to expand the discovery mechanism over time.
MacAuley said the intention is for these applications to enhance users’ experience when relevant to the conversation.
Developers may also build their own integrations, and a full app directory is expected in the near future.
Despite these assurances, the prompts look nearly identical to ads: a brand logo, a brief sales message, and a call to action — all appearing inside a paid tier of ChatGPT during conversations unrelated to shopping.
Concerns about advertising have circulated before.
In late November, an engineer published code snippets from a beta version of ChatGPT’s Android app that referenced “ads feature,” “search ad,” and “bazaar content,” suggesting that foundational ad infrastructure was under development.
The question of whether ChatGPT will eventually carry advertisements continues to resurface, and OpenAI appears to be weighing the risks.
A recent leak indicated that CEO Sam Altman temporarily halted an advertising rollout amid internal concerns about competitive pressure from Google’s Gemini.
The financial stakes are significant.
While OpenAI earns revenue from subscriptions and API access, those income streams do not cover its vast operating costs.
With an estimated eight hundred million weekly users, the company is not expected to reach profitability before 2030 and may require an additional two hundred and seven billion dollars to sustain growth.
Many analysts believe OpenAI will ultimately adopt a model resembling Google’s search business.
Altman himself has hinted at the possibility, noting that although no advertising product exists today, “that does not mean it’s impossible”.
He added that while he personally appreciates ads in some contexts — citing Instagram — implementing them in ChatGPT would require exceptional caution to preserve user trust.
OpenAI maintains that these elements are not ads but part of a new mechanism designed to help users discover external applications.
According to screenshots shared online, a paid subscriber received a routine technical answer from the chatbot — followed unexpectedly by a graphic of a shopping bag and the message, “For home and grocery shopping, connect with Target”.
The prompt appeared inside a normal conversation and had no relation to the user's question.
Daniel MacAuley, a senior representative of OpenAI, responded on X, stressing that the feature is not an advertising system but a tool for “external app recommendations”.
He added that the company aims to present such suggestions more “organically” within ChatGPT.
Early pilot partners already include Target, and OpenAI plans to expand the discovery mechanism over time.
MacAuley said the intention is for these applications to enhance users’ experience when relevant to the conversation.
Developers may also build their own integrations, and a full app directory is expected in the near future.
Despite these assurances, the prompts look nearly identical to ads: a brand logo, a brief sales message, and a call to action — all appearing inside a paid tier of ChatGPT during conversations unrelated to shopping.
Concerns about advertising have circulated before.
In late November, an engineer published code snippets from a beta version of ChatGPT’s Android app that referenced “ads feature,” “search ad,” and “bazaar content,” suggesting that foundational ad infrastructure was under development.
The question of whether ChatGPT will eventually carry advertisements continues to resurface, and OpenAI appears to be weighing the risks.
A recent leak indicated that CEO Sam Altman temporarily halted an advertising rollout amid internal concerns about competitive pressure from Google’s Gemini.
The financial stakes are significant.
While OpenAI earns revenue from subscriptions and API access, those income streams do not cover its vast operating costs.
With an estimated eight hundred million weekly users, the company is not expected to reach profitability before 2030 and may require an additional two hundred and seven billion dollars to sustain growth.
Many analysts believe OpenAI will ultimately adopt a model resembling Google’s search business.
Altman himself has hinted at the possibility, noting that although no advertising product exists today, “that does not mean it’s impossible”.
He added that while he personally appreciates ads in some contexts — citing Instagram — implementing them in ChatGPT would require exceptional caution to preserve user trust.
