Editorial illustration for OpenAI Halts App Promotions in ChatGPT Following Brief Test Period
ChatGPT App Promos Pulled After Short-Lived Test
OpenAI disables ad-like app promotions in ChatGPT after test phase
ChatGPT tried to sell you something this week. It failed. OpenAI plastered promotional messages for partner apps inside the chatbot—a test, the company called it.
Users complained, loudly. By week’s end, a spokesperson confirmed the experiment was over. A clumsy attempt to turn conversation into commerce, it lasted roughly seven days.
Users saw right through it.
An unnamed company spokesperson told TechCrunch last week that these messages were part of OpenAI's tests for surfacing apps in ChatGPT, pointing to plans announced in October to "suggest apps when they're relevant to the conversation." In response to one complaint on X, OpenAI data engineer Daniel McAuley said the promotional messages are not ads because "there's no financial component," but acknowledged that the "lack of relevancy makes it a bad/confusing experience." In another message, McAuley said the messages were designed to boost the organic discovery of partner apps within ChatGPT, which in turn entice users to keep using the chatbot instead of switching over to another app.
Data engineer Daniel McAuley’s defense is telling: no money changed hands, so it wasn’t an ad. A technicality. To anyone asking a question, an irrelevant promotion is noise.
It feels like an ad. The transparent goal was to keep users inside ChatGPT’s walled garden by suggesting other attractions within the same walls. Gardens are valued for their peace, not their billboards.
OpenAI’s swift retreat proves they know where the line is. They tested its proximity. The answer came back clear: not very close at all.
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Common Questions Answered
Why did OpenAI halt its app promotions in ChatGPT?
OpenAI temporarily tested app recommendations during conversations, but quickly stopped the feature due to user confusion and negative feedback. The company's data engineer, Daniel McAuley, acknowledged that the app suggestions were creating a 'bad/confusing experience' for users.
How did OpenAI describe the app recommendations during their brief test?
OpenAI claimed the promotional messages were not advertisements and had no financial component, positioning them as helpful suggestions relevant to ongoing conversations. However, the app recommendations appeared random and triggered significant user curiosity and pushback.
When did OpenAI first announce plans to suggest apps in ChatGPT?
OpenAI initially announced plans to suggest apps during conversations in October, preceding the brief test period where app recommendations suddenly appeared and then quickly disappeared. The experimental feature was short-lived and met with immediate user skepticism.
Further Reading
- OpenAI says it’s turned off app suggestions that look like ads — TechCrunch
- OpenAI insists ChatGPT ‘ads’ weren’t ads — Search Engine Land
- OpenAI Disables Ad-Like App Suggestions After User Backlash — TechBuzz
- OpenAI rolls back ChatGPT suggestions after users flag ad-like prompts — Moneycontrol
- OpenAI turns off app-like suggestions after user backlash — The News International (Jang)
