OpenAI has disabled a feature in ChatGPT that suggested third-party applications after users complained the recommendations resembled advertisements.
Mark Chen, the company’s Chief Research Officer, acknowledged that the artificial intelligence firm “fell short” in its execution of the recent promotional messages.
The controversy arose after paying subscribers to ChatGPT reported seeing messages promoting companies such as Peloton and Target. The backlash was immediate, with one user responding to the company’s initial explanations with scepticism, writing: “Don’t insult your paying users.”
In response to the complaints, OpenAI clarified that it was testing methods to surface applications built on the ChatGPT platform, a feature announced in October. The company insisted there was “no financial component” to these suggestions.
However, Mr Chen adopted an apologetic tone regarding the rollout.
“I agree that anything that feels like an ad needs to be handled with care, and we fell short,” Mr Chen wrote on Friday. “We’ve turned off this kind of suggestion while we improve the model’s precision. We’re also looking at better controls so you can dial this down or off if you don’t find it helpful.”
Nick Turley, the head of ChatGPT, also addressed the issue on Friday, noting that he was “seeing lots of confusion about ads rumours”.
“There are no live tests for ads – any screenshots you’ve seen are either not real or not ads,” Mr Turley wrote. “If we do pursue ads, we’ll take a thoughtful approach. People trust ChatGPT and anything we do will be designed to respect that.”
Speculation regarding OpenAI’s advertising ambitions increased earlier this year following the appointment of Fidji Sumo as CEO of Applications. Ms Simo, a former executive at Instacart and Facebook, was widely expected to build the company’s advertising business.
However, strategic priorities appear to have shifted recently. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman issued a “code red” memo. The directive reportedly prioritises work to improve the quality of ChatGPT and pushes back other product initiatives, including advertising.