OpenAI Turns ChatGPT Into an App Platform With Plugin Overhaul

OpenAI used its Dev Day presentation on Tuesday to announce that developers can now build app-like experiences inside ChatGPT using plugin extensions, a move that positions the company to compete with any application that works better when integrated with a chat interface.

The announcement extends OpenAI's existing plugin system, which already connects ChatGPT to everyday tools like Slack, SharePoint, Airtable and Google Drive. The difference is placement and depth. The new plugin extensions give apps a dedicated home in the ChatGPT sidebar, rather than leaving them as background connections users invoke mid-conversation.

Developers will also be able to build interactive panels that let users work with their tools while chatting with ChatGPT. The company notes these experiences can include file viewers that support whatever file formats the developer's product uses.

Making plugins easier to build and find

Alongside the interface changes, OpenAI says it is streamlining the developer experience and the discovery process for end users.

Developers get a new Plugin Creator tool for building plugins. Submission to the plugin directory now runs through a redesigned flow that offers clearer feedback, according to the company.

On the user side, OpenAI says it has improved how plugins are ranked and recommended within the directory, as well as how they surface in conversations. When users choose a plugin to work with, they can approve its access needs individually.

Sites can host plugins too

ChatGPT Sites, the lightweight websites users can build with ChatGPT, will be able to host these plugins as well. OpenAI gives a concrete example: someone could share their app with colleagues, who could then use it with their own connected data and permissions.

That combination turns Sites from a simple page builder into a distribution channel for tools built on ChatGPT's plugin infrastructure.

Automations enter the picture

OpenAI also said it is adding support for the proposed MCP Events specification, which would allow plugins to start automations based on events in a connected app. The company is simultaneously making automations easier to add and manage.

The stakes are considerable. ChatGPT already competes with productivity software through its new Pages, Slides and Space features. With app-like plugin extensions, event-driven automations and a distribution path via Sites, OpenAI is moving from building individual features to building a platform where third-party developers construct the ecosystem — the model that made operating systems and app stores dominant in previous computing eras.

For developers, the Plugin Creator and improved directory ranking lower the barrier to reaching ChatGPT's user base. For competitors, the message from Dev Day is that OpenAI intends to absorb functionality rather than simply coexist with it. How quickly plugin adoption follows will test whether users want their apps inside a chat window — and whether developers will build for a platform OpenAI controls end to end.