In early December 2025 a screenshot began circulating that showed a Target shopping suggestion appearing beneath a standard ChatGPT answer. The conversation itself had nothing to do with e-commerce which is why it caught attention. People saw the line “Shop at Target” sitting inside a reply and instantly compared it to an advert even though OpenAI never used that word. The timing mattered as well because the suggestion appeared shortly after news of a retail partnership. That created a sense of cause and effect whether or not the feature was genuinely linked to it.
The debate spread quickly because ChatGPT is now used for serious tasks. Advising someone on security or research while placing a shopping prompt in the same window felt jarring. When users cannot tell whether a suggestion is informational or commercial the uncertainty becomes the story. Even a single prompt can raise the question of whether neutrality is still the default behaviour.
OpenAI Says It Wasn’t An Ad
OpenAI’s first response was firm. Nick Turley, head of chatGPT, wrote that there were “no live tests for ads” and suggested the screenshots were either not real or not showing an advertisement. The company described the feature as an app suggestion rather than a paid placement. That line is important because it draws a technical distinction between a link that comes from model behaviour and a link that is actively sold to a commercial partner.
The problem is that users do not experience those distinctions while chatting. A product suggestion inside a neutral answer feels like an advert even if no money changed hands. This is the gap between internal language and public perception. OpenAI looked like it was asking people to trust a definition rather than what they could see on the screen.
But The Company Turned It Off Anyway
After the screenshots spread, Mark Chen, OpenAI’s Head of Product, confirmed that OpenAI disabled the feature. He acknowledged that it “felt like an ad” which was enough reason to pause it. This was an unusual admission because it accepted the emotional reaction even while insisting the feature was not a commercial placement. The company also said it would add clearer controls so people can turn similar suggestions down or off in future.
That response created a middle ground. OpenAI denied any active advertising programme but accepted that something inside the experience had crossed a line for users. The feature may have been experimental or mis-labelled, but it still behaved in a way that changed how people interpreted ChatGPT’s intent.
Users Now Expect Clear Separation From Commerce
There are also wider reports suggesting any future adverts would be more likely to appear on the free tier of ChatGPT rather than paid plans. That detail matters. If commercial elements reach the free version, the platform could become a space where users see product suggestions while trying to learn, research, or solve problems. Even if those suggestions are not paid ads, they look similar and carry similar influence.
The moment a chatbot begins to feel like a shopping surface, people start questioning what is a neutral response and what is not. That concern grows for first time users and for people who already rely on ChatGPT as a study companion or productivity tool.
The Trust Problem For AI Adoption
ChatGPT has moved far beyond simple conversation. Students, professionals, and small businesses use it to make decisions. If a model occasionally introduces commercial elements inside those answers, users need to know why it is happening and how it is controlled. Uncertainty around that point risks damaging trust long before any full advertising system appears.
These questions are even sharper in regions where consumer protection rules are still developing. An unclear suggestion in one market may be harmless. The same suggestion in another context might be treated as a commercial claim that needs disclosure, labelling, or regulatory review.
What Comes Next
OpenAI says that if advertising ever arrives inside ChatGPT it will be approached carefully. That leaves room for a future business model but does not confirm anything today. The current incident shows how sensitive the experience is. Even an unintentional suggestion can look like a sponsored message when it appears inside a personal chat.
The broader issue is not whether OpenAI will sell ads tomorrow. It is whether conversational AI can introduce commercial content without undermining confidence in the answers themselves. That trust is the reason people keep coming back.
