Users spot promotional blocks appearing inside ChatGPT

ChatGPT users have begun noticing built-in “promotional blocks” urging them to connect third-party services ranging from Spotify to Target, even when their prompts have nothing to do with those apps.

The issue was flagged by an X user who spotted a pop-up in a conversation about Elon Musk’s podcast suggesting he “find a fitness class. Connect Peloton.” This happened despite him being on the 200-dollar-per-month Pro tier.

Peloton is one of the apps OpenAI integrated into ChatGPT on 6 October 2025. These integrations are currently free to use via the “@” command in the input bar. But recommendations to connect apps like Spotify, Expedia or Target have started to appear automatically and out of context, which many users view as a form of stealth advertising.

The changes have fuelled speculation that OpenAI is preparing to launch a full in-app marketplace with paid promotion tools. Developer findings point in the same direction. On 29 November, engineer Tibor Blaho reported discovering code snippets in the beta version of ChatGPT for Android referencing advertising elements such as "ads feature," "search ad" and "bazaar content."

Another sign of upcoming monetization is a job posting from 25 September for an engineer focused on implementing marketing tools. The Information previously reported that OpenAI intends to increase revenue from non-subscribed users but has not disclosed concrete plans.