Users Claim To See Ads On ChatGPT, OpenAI Affirms No Ads To Show

OpenAI has denied rumors about the existence of advertisements in its popular chatbot service, ChatGPT. (photo: x @nickaturley)

JAKARTA - OpenAI strongly denies rumors circulating on social media about the existence of advertisements in its popular chatbot service, ChatGPT. The issue surfaced after a number of users uploaded screenshots of the ChatGPT interface featuring ad-like visual elements, including those touted as target advertisers', sparking fears that the company began to include ad formats on its platform.

Nick Turley, Head of ChatGPT at OpenAI, confirmed through an upload on X on Saturday December 6, that the company was not testing or broadcasting any ads at all.

He stated that all screenshots showing the ad were not part of the advertising feature, and some were likely not genuine. Turley added that OpenAI understands the amount of public trust in ChatGPT, and any steps related to future monetization will be carried out carefully and transparently.

Screenshots that sparked controversy are likely related to new shopping features introduced by OpenAI a few months ago. At the end of September, the company announced the first step towards what it calls agentic commerce', namely the ability for users, AI agents, and businesses to shop directly through ChatGPT.

In this feature, chatbots can display relevant products when users ask about certain shopping needs. If the product supports Instant Checkout, OpenAI's collaboration with financial technology company Stripe can directly press the buy button. The mechanism looks like an advertisement for some users, although OpenAI insists that it is not a form of paid promotion.

Even so, the discourse on OpenAI's plans to present advertisements is nothing new. With a user base that reaches hundreds of millions of people every week, and mostly uses a free version, the company faces huge financial pressure.

The operation of a giant-scale artificial intelligence model is much more expensive than traditional search engines or social media, so the need to open additional sources of income is considered unavoidable.

Bahkan seorang pengembang bernama Tibor Blaho pernah menemukan referensi terhadap fitur ad di kode aplikasi Android ChatGPT, meski tidak jelas apakah itu benar-benar merujuk pada rencana produk yang akan dirilis.

But the plan seems to be postponed again. After the launch of Google Gemini 3 which received a wide welcome and attracted many new users, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman issued an internal code red' order.

In the memo, Altman asked the entire OpenAI team to concentrate resources on developing and improving ChatGPT quality. All initiatives deemed not a top priority, including ad launch plans, were ordered to be temporarily detained.

Until now, OpenAI has not provided additional statements regarding the direction of developing advertising features or its implementation schedule. However, the company reiterated that no advertisements are currently showing on ChatGPT, and new features such as spending are not meant as a form of promotion, but part of the development of the AI assistant's capabilities.