Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

ChatGPT could be choosing your music and homes without you knowing

OpenAI has recently expanded ChatGPT’s capabilities to run third-party applications

home buying

Users should understand what information is being accessed

iStock

Highlights:

  • ChatGPT can now connect to Spotify, Zillow and Canva, interacting directly with users’ accounts.
  • This allows the AI to learn personal tastes in music and housing.
  • Raises questions about unseen influence on decisions and user privacy.

How ChatGPT connects with apps

OpenAI has recently expanded ChatGPT’s capabilities to run third-party applications, including Spotify, Zillow and Canva. Once users link their accounts, the AI can perform tasks such as creating playlists, browsing property listings, and designing graphics, all within the chat interface.

Spotify integration enables ChatGPT to recommend songs and podcasts based on listening habits. Zillow support allows users to explore real estate listings by location, price, or other criteria, while Canva integration lets the AI guide users in creating designs, from presentations to social media graphics.


Subtle influence on your choices

By analysing interactions across these platforms, ChatGPT could shape recommendations in ways users may not notice. Music suggestions might reflect inferred moods or lifestyle patterns, while housing recommendations could highlight properties matching aesthetic or neighbourhood preferences.

Tech experts caution that the AI’s cross-platform awareness gives it a subtle but significant influence. “Every search, playlist, and design project feeds into the AI’s understanding of your preferences,” says a digital analyst. “It’s convenient, but users may not realise how much it shapes their choices.”

Privacy and transparency concerns

While OpenAI requires account connections and user consent, privacy advocates emphasise the need for transparency. Data shared with third-party apps can reveal patterns across multiple aspects of a person’s life, from leisure activities to financial decisions. Users should understand what information is being accessed and how it could affect future recommendations.

The future of AI-driven personalisation

OpenAI is also introducing an Apps SDK, allowing developers to integrate new applications into ChatGPT. This could expand its influence across more areas of daily life, making the AI an increasingly central guide in decisions, from entertainment to home buying.

As ChatGPT merges conversational AI with practical app functionality, it may quietly shape user choices in ways that feel helpful but are often invisible, raising both opportunities and ethical questions about personal autonomy in a connected digital world.