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   The era of ads in ChatGPT begins  users furious as even $200 a month Pro   
   subscribers hit with app suggestions   
      
   Date:   
   Wed, 03 Dec 2025 13:18:14 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   OpenAI has started testing app suggestions inside ChatGPT conversations, and   
   even $200 a month Pro users are seeing them.   
      
   FULL STORY   
      
    ChatGPT users are not happy, and it's pretty easy to see why. Over the   
   weekend, OpenAI quietly started testing app suggestions inside chats, and   
   theyre already showing up for people who pay $200 every month for the Pro   
   tier. The thing is, these "ads" aren't anything new, but they do point to a   
   worrying future.    
      
   The moment the first screenshot hit social media, the backlash was instant,   
   and while there hasn't been a full announcement from OpenAI yet, the company   
   might need to backtrack if it wants to keep its most loyal user base.    
      
   If youre paying premium money for an AI assistant, the last thing you want is   
   something that looks and feels like an ad popping up mid-conversation, and    
   the worrying thing is, it's just the beginning.   
      
   Kol Tregaskes took to X to share his frustrations, showcasing a screenshot of   
   a ChatGPT Pro subscription with an app suggestion to "Find a fitness class"   
   using Peloton. In the example, the user wasn't asking AI about Peloton, and   
   the app suggestion had no relevance to the conversation.    
      
   This image comes just a few days after a leak suggested OpenAI was working on   
   implementing ads following the discovery of text in the ChatGPT app. In the   
   Android version of the world's most popular chatbot, a user found hidden code   
   that refers to an "ads feature", some "bazaar content", a "search ad", and a   
   "search ads carousel".    
      
   You could argue that ads in ChatGPT were to be expected, especially for users   
   on the Free tier, but in no world should someone paying $200 a month   
   experience adverts, and to be honest, neither should ChatGPT Plus subscribers   
   paying $20 either.   
      
   The backlash    
      
   On Reddit, users are not happy with these ads that have popped up seemingly   
   out of nowhere. One user said, "The ads thing is pretty b******t. I might    
   just cancel my Pro subscription."    
      
   Another added, "I have been seeing ads as a pro user for at least 2 to 3 days   
   now. (UK user, so it may be region-specific at the moment)."    
      
   One user chose to clarify that these "ads" have been visible for a while now,   
   "ChatGPT is not showing ads. I imagine this refers to this instance in which   
   Pro users received app connection suggestions, but that is not new. If you    
   are a designer, you may receive a Canva app connection suggestion, sure. But   
   what people understand as ads is not this, and this is not new this week.    
   What has been new is the leak showing OpenAI was preparing the actual ad   
   rollout, but we have not seen it in practice."    
      
   While user sami_exploring is correct in their assessment of the situation,   
   many still believe showcasing content unrelated to your prompts for companies   
   is indeed an advertisement. We're not 100% sure how the full ChatGPT ad   
   rollout will look, or if OpenAI will decide to go ahead with it completely.   
   But one thing's sure, it's not looking good for ChatGPT subscribers, and    
   let's hope the inclusion of ads doesn't start a ripple effect across the    
   whole AI landscape.    
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/ai-platforms-assistants/chatgpt/the-era-of-ads-in-ch   
   atgpt-begins-users-furious-as-even-usd200-a-month-pro-subscribers-hit-with-app   
   -suggestions   
      
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