Key takeaways
- OpenAI announced a system to make ChatGPT suggest and host third-party apps within conversations, letting users discover and use software without traditional app stores.
- The company introduced Dots, autonomous AI agents that can execute tasks across 4,000+ connected apps by determining which services to use rather than users installing individual tools.
- A new "Sign in with ChatGPT" feature lets users maintain a single identity across partner apps and share their existing ChatGPT allowance with third-party services.
At its Dev Day event this week, OpenAI outlined a strategy that reaches far beyond new AI models or specialized assistants. The company is constructing a distribution system that allows third-party apps to be discovered, launched, and operated directly inside ChatGPT—effectively creating an alternative channel to the app store gatekeepers that have controlled software distribution since the smartphone era.
The vision builds on earlier experiments, but this time the architecture feels complete. ChatGPT already had plugins, but this week’s announcements show how that could become the primary interface for not just finding software, but using it without ever leaving the chat window.
ChatGPT as App Discovery Platform
How Suggestions Flow Through Conversation
The chatbot, which OpenAI says now reaches 1.2 billion users per week, has never fully capitalized on being the place where people spend time asking for help. The new system watches what a user is trying to accomplish and proposes apps that solve that specific problem. When a user accepts a suggestion, the app loads as an interactive panel inside ChatGPT—not as a separate tab, not as a downloaded application, but as an embedded workspace within the existing conversation.
A demo showed this with a meeting application. The app pulled upcoming calendar entries into the chat, and users could ask ChatGPT to take notes during a call and summarize follow-up items when the meeting ended. The app stayed embedded the entire time. Similar examples were shown with Figma and Adobe, where designers could revise their work or access features without breaking context.
The Identity Layer: Sign In with ChatGPT
The distribution strategy includes a second critical piece: identity. OpenAI introduced “Sign in with ChatGPT,” a single-sign-on feature that lets users carry their ChatGPT credentials into partner applications. But the feature carries more weight than typical social login. It also lets users transfer their existing AI allowance—the monthly usage budget they’ve paid for in ChatGPT—across connected services and apps.
This removes two common frictions from switching tools. Users don’t need separate accounts, separate authentication flows, or separate subscription billings for each new app they try. Their ChatGPT identity and budget follow them.
Sixteen launch partners signed on: Cognition’s Devin, Notion, Vercel, T3, OpenClaw, and Dactyl are among the first. OpenAI said additional partners are in the pipeline.
Extensions and Embedded Workspaces
The plugin system has been expanded to support extensions—interactive panels that let users work directly inside apps while remaining in the chat interface. These panels aren’t static forms; they’re live workspaces that respond to input and return results in real time.
Figma’s integration, for example, allows users to open design files and make revisions without leaving ChatGPT. Adobe’s apps work similarly for creative tasks. The extensions handle everything from drafting to iteration without requiring users to context-switch to a standalone application.
Sharing Apps Through ChatGPT Sites
When users generate content in ChatGPT—documents, analyses, project outlines—the chatbot now produces lightweight websites to host that content. These sites can include embedded apps. A user can share a link to a coworker, who can then sign in with their own credentials. The app behaves differently for each person based on their permissions, and ChatGPT respects those boundaries without requiring separate installations or setup steps.
Building an Enterprise Marketplace
OpenAI launched an enterprise app marketplace where 30+ partners are now available at launch. The list includes Adobe, Figma, Sierra, Decagon, HubSpot, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Harvey, Legora, Palo Alto Networks, CrowdStrike, and Baseten. Eligible customers can apply part of their OpenAI service commitment toward approved partner software, creating a consolidated billing relationship.
Developer Review and Submission Process
The company also addressed the developer experience. OpenAI’s plugin review process—equivalent to Apple’s App Review—now offers developers transparency. They can track their submission status, see specific feedback about what needs fixing, request human review, and update tools without resubmitting their entire application. This iterative approach differs from many app store systems where rejection often forces developers to start over.
Autonomous Agents Change App Discovery
The broader strategic shift centers on Dots—OpenAI’s autonomous AI agents. These differ fundamentally from chatbots that answer questions. Dots receive a task and execute it independently.
How Agents Operate
Each Dot runs on dedicated cloud infrastructure—its own computer and browser. When a user asks a Dot to build a website, manage a project schedule, or coordinate multiple steps, the agent navigates the web and accesses connected apps directly. If execution requires another AI model, a calculation tool, or a specific service, the agent incorporates it into the workflow rather than asking the user to find and install separate tools.
Dots can connect to more than 4,000 apps in OpenAI’s ecosystem. This breadth gives agents significant capability to accomplish varied tasks. They can read data from calendars, trigger communications, modify documents, and interact with business tools—all determined by what a task requires.
Proactive Task Management
Agents can operate proactively. They can identify opportunities to help with an ongoing project, flag a bug before it causes problems, or complete a task the user forgot about—always with the user’s permission first. Behind the scenes, agents can run what OpenAI calls “proactive research” using connected apps in read-only mode. They surface findings and recommendations without taking any irreversible action unless the user approves.
This model inverts the traditional app selection problem. Instead of users choosing which applications to install and maintain, users describe what they want done, and agents determine which services to employ.
The Business Model Remains Undefined
Despite the comprehensive nature of these announcements, OpenAI did not introduce a billing or revenue-sharing system comparable to how Apple and Google handle app payments. The company mentioned that users could subscribe to services through an app maker’s website and then connect those accounts to ChatGPT or a Dots agent, but it offered no detail on how payments, refunds, or developer revenue would be handled at scale.
This gap suggests that the distribution and interface infrastructure is being built first, with the economic layer following. Additional announcements are likely as the partner ecosystem expands.
Source: TechCrunch
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 'Sign in with ChatGPT' feature?
It's a single-sign-on feature that lets users bring their ChatGPT credentials and existing AI allowance—their monthly usage budget—into partner apps and services without needing separate accounts or subscriptions.
How many partners launched with these new features?
OpenAI announced 16 launch partners for "Sign in with ChatGPT," including Notion, Figma, Vercel, T3, Cognition's Devin, and Dactyl. The enterprise marketplace launched with 30+ partners including Salesforce, HubSpot, Adobe, and ServiceNow.
What are Dots and how do they work?
Dots are autonomous AI agents that run on dedicated cloud infrastructure with their own browser. They can execute tasks by navigating the web and accessing more than 4,000 connected apps, determining which services to use rather than requiring users to install individual tools.
