OpenAI announced a major expansion of ChatGPT at its DevDay event on Monday, revealing that the platform will soon host third-party apps and offer developers tools to build directly inside ChatGPT. CEO Sam Altman said the chatbot now has more than 800 million weekly users.
The company introduced a new software development kit that lets developers create apps specifically for ChatGPT, effectively turning the platform into its own app ecosystem. When users mention an app for the first time, they’ll be prompted to connect and choose what data to share. From there, they can interact with apps through natural language prompts, such as asking Spotify to generate a playlist or Zillow to show available homes.
Altman said the move will “enable a new generation of apps that are interactive, adaptive, and personalized,” describing it as a step toward helping developers scale their products quickly.
OpenAI plans to begin accepting app submissions later this year, along with details on how developers can monetize their work. The platform will include new commerce features allowing users to make purchases directly in ChatGPT, creating a potential new revenue stream similar to traditional app stores.
To support discovery, OpenAI will launch a public directory where users can browse apps. Those meeting higher design and functionality standards will be featured more prominently within ChatGPT, according to Altman.