OpenAI has temporarily disabled certain app suggestions in ChatGPT after users raised concerns that they resembled advertisements, even as the company maintains that no ads are currently running on the platform.

Mark Chen, OpenAI’s Chief Research Officer, acknowledged that the company “fell short” in handling recent promotional messages and emphasized efforts to improve the user experience.

The comments came in response to complaints from ChatGPT subscribers who noticed suggestions for services such as Peloton and Target.

According to OpenAI, these prompts were part of internal tests to showcase apps built on the ChatGPT platform, which launched in October, and contained “no financial component.”

One user who raised concerns expressed skepticism, stating, “Bruhhh… Don’t insult your paying users.”

ChatGPT head Nick Turley also addressed the situation, noting the widespread confusion over rumors of advertising within the app. “There are no live tests for ads – any screenshots you’ve seen are either not real or not ads,” Turley said.

He added that if OpenAI were to explore advertising in the future, it would be approached thoughtfully to maintain users’ trust.

In a more candid response, Chen admitted that the issue went beyond mere confusion. “I agree that anything that feels like an ad needs to be handled with care, and we fell short,” he 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.”

Earlier this year, Fidji Sumo, a former Instacart and Facebook executive, joined OpenAI as CEO of Applications, sparking expectations that she would expand the company’s advertising initiatives.

However, a recent memo from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, reported by the Wall Street Journal, signaled a “code red,” emphasizing improvements to ChatGPT’s quality over other initiatives, including potential advertising ventures.

Source: Techcrunch