ChatGPT has been nudging people to check out Target, Peloton, and other brands inside its chatbot, but OpenAI insists they’re not ads.
“This is not an ad—it’s just one of the ways we’re testing surfacing ChatGPT apps when they’re most relevant in the conversation,” the company tells PCMag. “It’s still early, and there’s room for improvement in how we do this!”
ChatGPT users are skeptical. “I hope this is just testing/a mistake, [or] else it’s an instant unsubscribe from me,” wrote one user on X/Twitter.
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As part of its DevDay in October, OpenAI announced a third-party app integration that brings services like Zillow and Spotify to the ChatGPT interface. You can use it to ask ChatGPT to find nearby rentals from Zillow’s database or find songs on Spotify, for example.
More recently, it added Target and Walmart, which allow you to shop directly from ChatGPT.
Some people are seeing unrelated app suggestions, however. “I’m in ChatGPT (paid Plus subscription), asking about Windows BitLocker, and it’s F-ing showing me ADS TO SHOP AT TARGET,” wrote one angry user. In response, an OpenAI staffer said the company is working to improve app suggestion relevancy.
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Some AI fans worry the feature is an ominous preview of a ChatGPT ruined by ads. Others have been trolling OpenAI by posting fake images of it pushing users to check out OnlyFans or political lobbying groups.
OpenAI has been exploring an ad-based model, and last week, the ChatGPT Android app was spotted including references to “feature.ads” and “AdTarget.” However, the company has reportedly paused its advertising plans to focus on bolstering ChatGPT, over fears that it has lost some of its competitive edge to Google’s Gemini 3 model.
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I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. Earlier this year, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how President Trump’s tariffs will affect the industry. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.
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