OpenAI faced a storm of backlash this week over ads in ChatGPT. The ChatGPT users saw what appeared to be sneaky ads popping up in chats. Frustrated subscribers shared screenshots of prompts that brands like Target and Peloton were pushing, raising fears that the beloved AI tool was selling out to commercial spam. But the company quickly stepped in, shut down the feature and promised to fix it. This drama highlights the growing concerns about ads in ChatGPT and how AI giants balance innovation with user trust.
The uproar started in early December 2025 when users on X and Reddit posted evidence of “app suggestions” that appeared to be advertisements. One viral screenshot showed it ChatGPT Recommend “Shop at Target” when having a technical question about Windows BitLocker. Another user complained about endless Spotify plugs, despite their loyalty to Apple Music. Premium Plus And Pro Season ticket holders in particular, who pay between $20 and $200 monthly, felt betrayed. They expected an ad-free haven, no product talk.
OpenAI’s leaders jumped into damage control mode. Chief Research Officer Mark Chen admitted that the team “fell short” in a public X response. He explained that this was not true ads in ChatGPT but experimental suggestions to showcase integrated apps. Still, bad timing and irrelevance put users off. Chen promised rapid changes, including better user controls.
ChatGPT Ads: OpenAI’s internal shake-up slows monetization push
Behind the scenes, Open AI faces greater pressure. A leaked internal memo from CEO Sam Altman declared a “code red” warning, the company’s highest crisis level. Altman instructed teams to focus on improving the core quality of ChatGPT. This move puts flashy income ideas on the shelves, including potential ads in ChatGPTAI shopping agents and the Pulse personal assistant feature.
Most important details from the code red memo:
- Prioritizes ChatGPT performance improvements over new launches
- Slows down ad experiments and third-party integrations
- Follows a milder “code orange” phase for previous adjustments
- Aims to fend off rivals like Google’s Gemini 3, which just topped the benchmarks
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OpenAI VP and ChatGPT head Nick Turley doubled down on X: “No live testing for ads. Screenshots are fake or not ads.” He emphasized every future ads in ChatGPT would come with a “thoughtful” design to honor user trust. The company makes billions from subscriptions and APIs, but with 800 million users and huge computing costs, monetization is looming.
This isn’t OpenAI’s first mistake; previous app discovery tests also flopped. With competition heating up and GPT-5.2 rumored for next week, OpenAI must tread carefully. Users demand transparency, not tricks. For now, the app suggestions will remain disabled while engineers fine-tune the precision. Shall ads in ChatGPT ever arrive? If so, expect a user-centric rollout or more setbacks.
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