{"id":7144,"date":"2025-12-03T20:18:31","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T20:18:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/openai-chatgpt-suggestion-shop-target-not-ad\/"},"modified":"2025-12-03T20:18:31","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T20:18:31","slug":"openai-chatgpt-suggestion-shop-target-not-ad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/openai-chatgpt-suggestion-shop-target-not-ad\/","title":{"rendered":"OpenAI Says ChatGPT\u2019s Random Suggestion to Shop at Target Is Not an Ad"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Rumors surrounding OpenAI preparing to stuff ads into ChatGPT are hitting a fever pitch.<\/p>\n

Last week, engineer Tibor Blaho made headlines<\/a> after discovering references to an \u201c\u2018ads feature\u2019 with \u2018bazaar content,\u2019 \u2018search ad\u2019 and \u2018search ads carousel’\u201d hidden inside the code of ChatGPT\u2019s Android app.<\/p>\n

Now, users are starting to notice strange inclusions at the end of the chatbot\u2019s output as well, encouraging users to download the apps of sometimes-prominent brands. The sightings have sparked a heated debate over whether OpenAI has already begun adding advertising to its number one money maker.<\/p>\n

The stakes are considerable for OpenAI, which is burning through billions of dollars every quarter \u2014 and is planning to spend well over $1 trillion<\/a> before the end of this decade. Finding new sources of revenue, particularly in light of lackluster ChatGPT subscription numbers<\/a>, is certain to be a major topic of conversation behind the scenes.<\/p>\n

As such, CEO Sam Altman recently declared a \u201ccode red<\/a>\u201d as the company\u2019s competition, most notably Google, continues to catch up, turning up the pressure even further. <\/p>\n

Whether OpenAI has already started<\/em> including ads in ChatGPT remains a major point of contention on social media, with multiple OpenAI staffers firmly maintaining that the strange inclusions are \u201cnot an ad.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are certainly things appearing on ChatGPT that appear very ad-like. AI developer Benjamin de Kraker, for instance, raged online<\/a> that the chatbot was \u201cshowing me ADS TO SHOP AT TARGET.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, a small notice at the bottom of an entirely unrelated prompt reads: \u201cShop for home and groceries,\u201d encouraging de Kraker to \u201cconnect Target.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI honestly thought some of the ads claims were fake \/ for the memes, but this is really bad and dumb,\u201d he added<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While OpenAI has yet to officially weigh in on the debate \u2014 the company hasn\u2019t responded to Futurism<\/em>\u2018s request for comment \u2014 staffers have taken to social media to argue that the inclusions aren\u2019t ads.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the \u2018Apps SDK\u2019 that allows anyone to build apps natively in ChatGPT,\u201d OpenAI go-to-market executive Adam Goldberg tweeted in response to de Kraker. \u201cIt is not an ad.\u201d<\/p>\n

OpenAI\u2019s Apps SDK, which is currently available in preview<\/a>, allows developers to \u201cbegin building and testing\u201d apps for ChatGPT. <\/p>\n

How or why these inclusions are ending up in users\u2019 ChatGPT conversations remains unclear. (If the Wall Street Journal<\/em>\u2018s sources<\/a> are to be believed, the company is backburnering advertising for now and is doubling down on improving the ChatGPT experience instead.)<\/p>\n

But Goldberg\u2019s comments served to fan the flames even further, and de Kraker was far from convinced.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd heeeeere we go,\u201d he wrote in a reply<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Isn\u2019t an ad,’\u201d he added. \u201cBruhhh\u2026 Don\u2019t insult your paying users.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adding to the suspicious optics, De Kraker pointed out that OpenAI recently partnered with Target<\/a>, a joint venture that was announced on November 19. Target is testing a new feature that allows customers to add items sold at the retailer to their cart based on ChatGPT recommendations. It\u2019s unclear if the partnership is in any way related to the suggestion de Kraker saw.<\/p>\n

Target isn\u2019t the only brand that ChatGPT is promoting. In a separate tweet<\/a>, AI startup Hyperbolic cofounder Yuchen Juin noticed ChatGPT prompting him to \u201cfind a fitness class\u201d and connect to Peloton.<\/p>\n

\u201cWow, ChatGPT is already showing ads?\u201d Juin wrote.<\/p>\n

Both Juin and de Kraker are paying ChatGPT Pro customers. Neither of the \u201cads\u201d appears to have any connection to what either of the users originally asked the chatbot.<\/p>\n

\u201cWild,\u201d Juin wrote. \u201cAt least match the ad to the topic next time!\u201d<\/p>\n

This time, OpenAI data engineer Daniel McAuley came to the firm\u2019s defense<\/a>, arguing that \u201cthis is not an ad (there\u2019s no financial component).\u201d<\/p>\n

However, McAuley admitted that the jarring experience leaves plenty to be desired.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s only a suggestion to install Peloton\u2019s app,\u201d he wrote. \u201cBut the lack of relevancy makes it a bad\/confusing experience. We\u2019re iterating on the suggestions and UX, trying to make sure they\u2019re awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

More on OpenAI:<\/strong> Sam Altman Is Suddenly Terrified<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

The post OpenAI Says ChatGPT\u2019s Random Suggestion to Shop at Target Is Not an Ad<\/a> appeared first on Futurism<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Rumors surrounding OpenAI preparing to stuff ads into ChatGPT are hitting a fever pitch. Last week, engineer Tibor Blaho made headlines after discovering references to an \u201c\u2018ads feature\u2019 with \u2018bazaar…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[177,179],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-artificial-intelligence","category-openai"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7144"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7144\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}