OpenAI turns ChatGPT into an app distribution platform

At its Dev Day event, OpenAI introduced features designed to turn ChatGPT, which boasts 1.2 billion weekly users, into a primary hub for software discovery and execution. Instead of forcing users to download standalone programs, ChatGPT will now suggest relevant third-party apps directly within conversational flows. Developers can build interactive panels using an expanded plugin architecture that supports extensions, allowing users to operate external tools without leaving the chat interface.

A new "Sign in with ChatGPT" feature lets users carry their existing AI allowance over to external applications. OpenAI launched this initiative with 16 initial partners, including Cognition’s Devin, Notion, Vercel, T3, OpenClaw, and Dactyl. Additionally, the company introduced an enterprise app marketplace featuring over 30 launch partners, such as Adobe, Figma, Salesforce, HubSpot, ServiceNow, and CrowdStrike. Enterprise clients can apply their OpenAI financial commitments toward these approved partner tools.

The ecosystem also leverages OpenAI's new autonomous AI agents, called Dots. Each Dot operates with its own cloud computer and browser, navigating the web to execute tasks across an ecosystem of more than 4,000 connected apps. For developers, OpenAI streamlined the plugin submission process, allowing creators to track reviews, request human evaluations, and update tools without restarting the entire submission pipeline.

For software developers and enterprise practitioners, these updates shift the paradigm of software distribution away from Apple and Google's dominant app stores. By integrating tools directly into ChatGPT or letting autonomous agents handle them in the background, developers gain a massive new distribution channel. While OpenAI has not yet introduced a billing or revenue-sharing system, the new framework allows users to link their existing third-party subscriptions directly to their AI agents.