OpenAI says it has disabled ad-like app promotions in ChatGPT

OpenAI turned off some promotional app messages in ChatGPT after users complained that the chatbot was showing them ads. in Share on XMark Chen, chief research officer at OpenAI, said the company was working to improve the experience after showing ChatGPT users in-app messages promoting companies like Peloton and Target, and that “this type of suggestion” has now been disabled.

“I agree that anything resembling an advertisement should be handled carefully, and we failed to do so,” Chen said. “We’re also looking for better controls so you can pause or stop this if you don’t find this helpful.”

Withdrawal comes after ChatGPT users – Including some subscribers to paid chat programs Pro and In addition to plans – Shared screenshots of promotional messages that were appearing within unrelated chats, encouraging them to “find a fitness class” and “shop for home and groceries” after they were chatting with the app about xAI and BitLocker. These promotional messages connect users to the Peloton and Target apps directly integrated into the ChatGPT service.

An unnamed company spokesman said TechCrunch Last week, these messages were part of OpenAI’s tests for rendering applications in ChatGPT, indicating Plans announced in October “To suggest apps when they are relevant to the conversation.” In response to one complaint about In another message, McCauley said the messages are designed to promote organic discovery of partner apps within ChatGPT, which in turn encourages users to continue using the chatbot rather than switching to another app.

We’ve reached out to OpenAI to confirm whether it is removing all or just some of the app suggestions in ChatGPT.

Concerns about adding ads to ChatGPT are understandable, given the pressure OpenAI is under To make profits. The company reportedly generated $12 billion in annual revenue this summer, but is expected to burn through $115 billion through 2029, and has pledged to… Spending more than $1 trillion To achieve its goal of building super artificial intelligence. Most of OpenAI’s revenue currently comes from API licenses and user subscriptions, but according to Financial Times According to the report released in October, only five percent of ChatGPT’s 800 million users actually pay for the service.

Aside from the very ad-like presentation of these app promotions, their lack of relevance to the ChatGPT conversations they were appearing in sparked frustration among users as OpenAI finally introduced ads to the service. ChatGPT President Nick Turley He responded to the backlashHe insisted that there were “no live tests of ads” on the service, and that “any screenshots I’ve seen are either not real or aren’t ads.” Turley did not specify which, if any, ChatGPT promotional messages shared online were fake.