OpenAI says it has turned off certain app suggestions in ChatGPT after paying users complained that the messages looked and felt like advertisements, despite the company’s insistence that no ads are currently live on the platform.

The issue surfaced after subscribers reported seeing promotional-style suggestions referencing consumer brands, prompting confusion and frustration among users who pay for an ad-free experience.

According to OpenAI, the messages were part of an experiment to surface apps built on the ChatGPT app platform, which launched in October. The company emphasized that these suggestions had “no financial component.”

That explanation did little to calm early critics. One user who originally complained responded skeptically, writing, “Bruhhh… Don’t insult your paying users.”

Concerns centered less on whether money was changing hands and more on trust — particularly among subscribers who expect a clean interface without anything resembling ads.

Mark Chen, OpenAI’s chief research officer, acknowledged that the company mishandled the rollout.

“I agree that anything that feels like an ad needs to be handled with care, and we fell short,” Chen wrote. “We’ve turned off this kind of suggestion while we improve the model’s precision. We’re also looking at better controls so you can dial this down or off if you don’t find it helpful.”

Separately, Nick Turley, head of ChatGPT, sought to clarify ad rumors, posting that there are “no live tests for ads” in ChatGPT.

“There are no live tests for ads — any screenshots you’ve seen are either not real or not ads,” Turley wrote. “If we do pursue ads, we’ll take a thoughtful approach. People trust ChatGPT and anything we do will be designed to respect that.”

The timing of the controversy is notable. Earlier this year, Fidji Sumo, a former Instacart and Facebook executive, joined OpenAI as CEO of Applications, a role many observers expected would focus on monetization — including advertising.

However, The Wall Street Journal reported last week that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently issued an internal “code red,” shifting priorities toward improving ChatGPT quality and pushing back other initiatives, including advertising-related work.

The reaction underscores how sensitive users are to anything that resembles promotion inside AI interfaces, particularly when it interrupts existing workflows.

Q: Were there ads running in ChatGPT?
A: No. OpenAI stated that there are no live ads and no live ad tests in ChatGPT. The company says the messages in question were app suggestions, not advertisements.

Q: Why did users think the messages were ads?
A: Paying subscribers reported seeing promotional-style suggestions referencing well-known companies, which closely resembled traditional ads in tone and presentation.

Q: What were the app suggestions meant to show?
A: OpenAI said the suggestions were part of a test highlighting apps built on the ChatGPT app platform, which launched in October, and that there was no financial component to those recommendations.

Q: What action did OpenAI take after the complaints?
A: OpenAI said it has turned off this type of suggestion while it works to improve model precision and develop better user controls, including options to reduce or disable such suggestions.

Q: How did OpenAI leadership respond publicly?
A: Chief Research Officer Mark Chen acknowledged the experience “fell short,” while Nick Turley, head of ChatGPT, emphasized that there are no live ad tests and that any future advertising would be handled thoughtfully to preserve trust.

Q: How does this relate to OpenAI’s broader strategy?
A: While OpenAI has hired executives with advertising and monetization backgrounds, recent reporting indicates the company is currently prioritizing ChatGPT quality improvements over new revenue initiatives like advertising.

Even without formal ads, OpenAI’s experience shows how quickly interface changes can trigger trust concerns, especially among paying users who expect a clean, ad-free experience.

For a product positioned as a neutral, always-available assistant, perception matters as much as intent. Features that resemble promotion — even unintentionally — risk undermining user confidence at a moment when OpenAI is asking people to rely on ChatGPT for work, research, and decision-making.

The takeaway: as AI tools become more embedded in daily life, the line between usefulness and promotion must be unmistakably clear — and users are increasingly willing to push back when it isn’t.

TechCrunch — OpenAI Turns Off App Suggestions That Look Like Ads
https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/07/openai-says-its-turned-off-app-suggestions-that-look-like-ads/

TechCrunch — OpenAI Slammed for App Suggestions That Looked Like Ads
https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/02/openai-slammed-for-app-suggestions-that-looked-like-ads/

OpenAI — Introducing Apps in ChatGPT
https://openai.com/index/introducing-apps-in-chatgpt/

X — User Reaction to App Suggestions
https://x.com/BenjaminDEKR/status/1996274293962142177

X — Nick Turley on Ads in ChatGPT
https://x.com/nickaturley/status/1997120491589349440

TechCrunch — Instacart CEO Fidji Simo Joins OpenAI
https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/07/instacart-ceo-fidji-simo-is-joining-openai/

Ad Age — OpenAI Names Fidji Simo CEO of Applications
https://adage.com/technology/ai/aa-openai-ceo-applications-fidji-simo/

The Wall Street Journal — Altman Declares ‘Code Red’ to Improve ChatGPT
https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/openais-altman-declares-code-red-to-improve-chatgpt-as-google-threatens-ai-lead-7faf5ea6

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.