OpenAI slammed for app suggestions that looked like ads

ChatGPT’s unwelcome suggestion for a Peloton app during a conversation led to some backlash from OpenAI customers. People feared that ads had arrived, even for paid customers. OpenAI, however, clarified that the app suggestion was not an advertisement, but instead a poor attempt to integrate an app discovery feature within conversations.

In a post on X, which has since been viewed nearly 462,000 times, AI startup Hyberbolic’s co-founder, Yuchen Jin, shared a screenshot where ChatGPT seemingly suggested connecting the Peloton app in an unrelated conversation. Worse still, Jin noted he was a paid subscriber to ChatGPT’s $200 per month Pro Plan. At that price point, ads would not be expected.

The post, which was reshared and saved hundreds of times across X, received quite a bit of attention, as it seemed to indicate OpenAI was testing the insertion of ads into its paid product. Users complained that paying customers, especially, shouldn’t have to see app suggestions like this.

One person also pointed out that they couldn’t get ChatGPT to stop recommending Spotify to them, even though they were an Apple Music subscriber.

OpenAI’s data lead for ChatGPT, Daniel McAuley, later jumped into the thread to clarify that the Peloton placement was not an ad; it was “only a suggestion to install Peloton’s app.” He said there was “no financial component” to the appearance of the app suggestion.

However, he admitted that “the lack of relevancy” to the conversation made it a bad and confusing experience, and OpenAI was iterating on the suggestions and the user experience.

A company spokesperson also confirmed to TechCrunch that what users had spotted was one of the ways OpenAI had been “testing surfacing apps in ChatGPT conversations.” They pointed to OpenAI’s announcement in October about its new app platform, where the company noted that apps would “fit naturally” into user conversations.

“You can discover [apps] when ChatGPT suggests one at the right time, or by calling them by name. Apps respond to natural language and include interactive interfaces you can use right in the chat,” the post explained.

But that didn’t appear to be the case here, as the user claims they weren’t discussing anything related to health and fitness. Instead, as the screenshot shows, they had been chatting with the AI about a podcast featuring Elon Musk, where xAI was the topic being discussed. Inserting Peloton into this experience was unhelpful and a distraction.

Yet even if the app suggestion had been relevant, users may have still viewed it as an ad, given that it’s directing people to a product from a business that isn’t free. In addition, users can’t turn off these app suggestions, which may make them feel more intrusive.

This user sentiment could have potential ramifications for OpenAI’s desire to replace the App Store experience, and apps that run on your phone, with integrated apps that run within ChatGPT. If users don’t want to see app suggestions, they could choose to switch to a competitor’s chatbot to avoid them.

Currently, ChatGPT apps are available to logged-in users outside of the EU, Switzerland, and the U.K., and the integrations are still in pilot testing. OpenAI partners with a number of app makers, including Booking.com, Canva, Coursera, Figma, Expedia, Zillow, and others.