OpenAI turns ChatGPT into a rival to app stores

At its Dev Day event, OpenAI introduced a series of features that together point to a plan to disrupt the traditional app store model. The company is turning ChatGPT, which it says has 1.2 billion weekly users, into a surface where software can be discovered, launched, and used by both people and AI agents.

Apps inside the conversation

ChatGPT will now suggest relevant apps directly within a conversation when it detects they could help complete a task, letting users connect and use them without leaving the chat. This is supported by an expanded plugin architecture with interactive panels, letting developers build AI-native versions of their apps that run inside ChatGPT itself.

Identity and shared AI allowance

A new "Sign in with ChatGPT" feature lets users carry their existing account and AI usage allowance into third-party apps. Sixteen launch partners have signed on, including Cognition's Devin, Notion, Vercel, T3, OpenClaw and Dactyl. A demo showed a new meeting app taking notes and generating follow-up summaries, alongside design tools from Figma and Adobe working inside ChatGPT.

Easier review process and marketplace

Developers can now track their plugin review status and update tools without restarting the entire submission process. OpenAI also launched an enterprise app marketplace with more than 30 partners at launch, including Adobe, Figma, Salesforce, ServiceNow and CrowdStrike, where eligible customers can apply part of their OpenAI spending commitment toward partner software.

Autonomous Dots agents

The newly launched autonomous agents, called Dots, can browse the web and carry out tasks using their own cloud infrastructure, tapping into an ecosystem of more than 4,000 connected apps. The agents can proactively offer help, though actions still require user approval. OpenAI has not disclosed plans for a billing or revenue-sharing system comparable to what traditional app stores offer.