{"id":701753,"date":"2025-12-02T20:25:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T17:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/openai-slammed-for-app-suggestions-that-looked-like-ads\/"},"modified":"2025-12-02T20:25:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T17:25:08","slug":"openai-slammed-for-app-suggestions-that-looked-like-ads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/openai-slammed-for-app-suggestions-that-looked-like-ads\/","title":{"rendered":"OpenAI slammed for app suggestions that looked like ads"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ChatGPT\u2019s unwelcome suggestion for a Peloton app<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

In a post on X<\/a>, which has since been viewed nearly 462,000 times, AI startup Hyberbolic\u2019s 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\u2019s $200 per month Pro Plan. At that price point, ads would not be expected. <\/p>\n

The post, which was reshared<\/a> 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\u2019t have to see app suggestions like this.<\/p>\n

One person also pointed out<\/a> that they couldn\u2019t get ChatGPT to stop recommending Spotify to them, even though they were an Apple Music subscriber. <\/p>\n

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Hey, Kol. Thanks for flagging \ud83d\ude4f This is not an ad (there’s no financial component). It’s only a suggestion to install Peloton’s app. But the lack of relevancy makes it a bad\/confusing experience. We’re iterating on the suggestions and UX, trying to make sure they’re awesome.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Daniel McAuley (@_dmca) December 1, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

OpenAI\u2019s data lead for ChatGPT, Daniel McAuley, later jumped into the thread<\/a> to clarify that the Peloton placement was not an ad; it was \u201conly a suggestion to install Peloton\u2019s app.\u201d He said there was \u201cno financial component\u201d to the appearance of the app suggestion. <\/p>\n

However, he admitted that \u201cthe lack of relevancy\u201d to the conversation made it a bad and confusing experience, and OpenAI was iterating on the suggestions and the user experience.<\/p>\n

A company spokesperson also confirmed to TechCrunch that what users had spotted was one of the ways OpenAI had been \u201ctesting surfacing apps in ChatGPT conversations.\u201d They pointed to OpenAI\u2019s announcement in October<\/a> about its new app platform, where the company noted that apps would \u201cfit naturally\u201d into user conversations. <\/p>\n

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Techcrunch event<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSan Francisco<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t|<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOctober 13-15, 2026<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cYou 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,\u201d the post explained. <\/p>\n

But that didn\u2019t appear to be the case here, as the user claims they weren\u2019t 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. <\/p>\n

Yet even if the app suggestion had been relevant, users may have still viewed it as an ad, given that it\u2019s directing people to a product from a business that isn\u2019t free. In addition, users can\u2019t turn off these app suggestions, which may make them feel more intrusive. <\/p>\n

This user sentiment could have potential ramifications for OpenAI\u2019s desire to replace the App Store experience, and apps that run on your phone, with integrated apps that run within ChatGPT. If users don\u2019t want to see app suggestions, they could choose to switch to a competitor\u2019s chatbot to avoid them.<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n