Screenshots circulating on X showed alleged ad-style responses appearing in ChatGPT’s interface, leading many users to warn OpenAI not to go ahead with the move
OpenAI has come under fire after users reported seeing what appeared to be advertisements within ChatGPT, prompting widespread frustration, including from subscribers paying $200 per month for the Pro tier.
Screenshots circulating on social media showed alleged ad-style responses appearing in the chatbot’s interface, leading many users to warn the company not to go ahead with the move. The posts quickly gained traction, with long-time users expressing concern that advertising could undermine the platform’s experience and value.
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Amid the growing backlash, Nick Turley, Vice President and head of the ChatGPT app, issued a clarification on X. He insisted that OpenAI is not testing advertisements of any kind and said that the images being shared are either fabricated or misinterpreted. “There are no live tests for ads,” Turley stated.
He acknowledged that OpenAI may consider advertising at some point, but said any such move would be approached with caution. User trust, he stressed, remains central to the company’s decisions, and any future plans involving ads would be designed to respect and preserve the ChatGPT experience.
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Twitter reactions
One user reported spotting “spotted shopping suggestions in ChatGPT (labeled "Shop for home and groceries"). “OpenAI claims these aren't paid ads and have disabled the feature. The line between helpful suggestion and covert commerce is getting very thin. How long until ChatGPT is just a glorified ad platform?”, he asked.
Another GPT Pro user called the move “just bad UX”, adding that he didn’t want to pay to receive such ads, though he was an “advocate for both personal and enterprise ChatGPT use” and not a hater. “Sorry, OpenAI, but having ChatGPT push Spotify on me when I'm an Apple Music user is an ad. I know it's promoting an app in ChatGPT, but I don't want it, and I can't stop it, and it's intrusive. The only way to turn it off is to not use ChatGPT…”, he said.
Published: 07 Dec 2025, 01:50 pm IST
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