WASHINGTON: OpenAI is expanding ChatGPT into a platform where users can discover, launch and interact with software without leaving the chatbot, the San Francisco-based artificial intelligence company said.
At its Dev Day event at the end of September, OpenAI introduced expanded app interfaces, allowing developers to build interactive versions of their services that operate directly inside ChatGPT. The chatbot can also suggest apps during conversations when they may help users complete a task.
OpenAI is also introducing Sign in with ChatGPT, allowing users to carry their ChatGPT identity and AI usage allowance into participating third-party apps. The initiative initially includes partners such as Devin, Notion and Vercel.
An enterprise marketplace will also allow more than 30 partners, including Adobe, Figma, Salesforce and ServiceNow, to offer their services to eligible OpenAI customers.
The company's agentic Dots further expand the concept by allowing AI agents to use connected apps and web tools to complete tasks on a user's behalf. OpenAI says Dots can access more than 4,000 apps and conduct proactive research with user approval.
However, OpenAI has not yet announced an app-store-style billing or revenue-sharing system, leaving the economic model for its emerging software ecosystem unresolved.
To begin with, users will only be allocated one Dot per user – but over time, a large number of such agents are expected to be deployed for users. Communication with the software takes place via a chat function. There are plans to introduce specialised Dots for specific areas of expertise within companies – such as accountancy, marketing or legal matters.
Just a few weeks ago, Meta launched a similarly functioning AI assistant called Muse in the US, aimed at consumers. The Muse app subsequently climbed to the top of Apple's US App Store, and Meta was once again seen on Wall Street as a promising contender in the race to play a leading role in artificial intelligence, following billions in investment in AI infrastructure.
ChatGPT had initially sparked the hype surrounding artificial intelligence, but Meta has closed the gap with its latest AI assistants.
Incidents during tests of OpenAI’s AI agents had heightened concerns and fears surrounding artificial intelligence in recent weeks. In the most sensational case to date, the ChatGPT developer’s AI broke out of a secure test environment and unexpectedly hacked into the computers of another AI firm, the Hugging Face platform. Shortly before the developer conference, it also emerged that OpenAI had cancelled the release of a new AI model due to security concerns. – dpa/Tribune News Service
