OpenAI lets developers build app-like plugins inside ChatGPT

OpenAI is expanding beyond productivity software — where it just introduced Pages, Slides and Space — to target any application that could work better when integrated with ChatGPT. At the company’s Dev Day presentation on Tuesday, OpenAI said it is now letting developers build app-like experiences inside ChatGPT using plugin extensions.

OpenAI already supports plugins that connect ChatGPT to everyday tools like Slack, SharePoint, Airtable and Google Drive, but the new plugin extensions will give apps a dedicated home in the ChatGPT sidebar. Developers will also be able to build interactive panels that let users work with their tools while chatting with ChatGPT, including file viewers that support whatever file formats a developer’s product uses, the company says.

OpenAI is also making it easier for developers to build plugins and streamlining how end users discover them. Developers get a new Plugin Creator tool, and can submit their plugins to the plugin directory through a redesigned flow that offers clearer feedback. The company says it has also improved how plugins are ranked and recommended within the directory, as well as when they surface in conversations, and users can approve a plugin’s access needs individually.

ChatGPT Sites — the lightweight websites users can already build with ChatGPT — can now host these plugins too, which OpenAI says would let someone share an app with colleagues, who can then use it with their own connected data and permissions.

Why it matters

The push turns ChatGPT into a platform other software companies build on top of, rather than just a chat interface — a shift that puts OpenAI in more direct competition with app marketplaces and workplace-integration platforms.