ChatGPT Users Spot Ad-Like Prompts, Complain Loudly—OpenAI Says Hold Up, Not Ads

ChatGPT users have shared screenshots of prompts pushing Target shopping links and Peloton app connections, calling them ads. Even folks on the $200/month Pro plan are mad. OpenAI insists these are just features like shopping tools and app suggestions, not advertising. But the complaints keep coming.

What Users Are Seeing

Screenshots show ChatGPT suggesting “Shop for home and groceries. Connect Target” or nudging to install the Peloton app mid-conversation. One X post from Hyperbolic co-founder Yuchen Jin, a Pro subscriber, blew up with 462,000 views. He was chatting about an Elon Musk podcast when Peloton popped up—totally off-topic. Another user couldn’t stop Spotify recommendations despite using Apple Music.

Target prompt: Looks like a direct shopping ad, but tied to OpenAI’s Instant Checkout feature with Stripe, launched in September. Business Insider notes users want an off switch.
Peloton and apps: Part of an October app platform pilot for logged-in users outside EU, UK, Switzerland. Partners include Booking.com and Canva. TechCrunch reports users hate the irrelevance, especially paid ones.

OpenAI’s Side

ChatGPT head Nick Turley posted on X: “There are no live tests for ads—any screenshots you’ve seen are either not real or not ads.” He promised a careful approach if ads ever come, to keep user trust. Data lead Daniel McAuley called the Peloton suggestion “only a suggestion to install,” no money involved, but admitted poor fit to chats. They’re tweaking it now. The Decoder covers Turley’s pushback on Target.

Code in the Android app hints at future ads, per developer Tibor Blaho in November. But Sam Altman hit pause after Google’s Gemini 3 launch—called a “code red,” shifting resources from ads and other features. Windows Central ties this to OpenAI’s cash burn.

Why Users Hate It

Complaints hit hard because:

Paid users expect no interruptions—Pro is $200/month. NDTV
Suggestions feel shoved in, can’t disable them.
Irrelevant pops kill the flow, like fitness apps in AI talks.
Fear of full ads ahead, clashing with OpenAI’s “AI for humanity” pitch amid money woes—losing billions yearly despite $13 billion revenue.

One Redditor nailed it: OpenAI needs revenue 9x higher to break even without massive price hikes or ads. Users threaten to bail for rivals sans suggestions.