Codex keeps shilling a random third-party plugin; OpenAI staffer says it's not an ad
reach_vb · x · 2026-10-07
User @doodlestein complained that ChatGPT/Codex constantly promotes an obscure third-party service, asking whether the company paid a fortune to advertise it. OpenAI's reachvb responded that Codex was asking the user to install a plugin, that it's hard to tell why it decided to without inspecting the rollout, while acknowledging "I can see why it feels a bit ad-like." The exchange highlights a product-boundary issue: when agents autonomously request external dependencies, the behavior is easily mistaken for paid promotion.
Related event: ChatGPT's Repeated Push of Obscure Third-Party Service Raises Ad Suspicions(4 posts)→
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