OpenAI is gearing up to launch the GPT Store, a platform that will empower developers to create and share custom applications based on the revolutionary text-generating AI models, such as GPT-4. The announcement comes nearly a year after the revelation at OpenAI’s first annual developer conference, DevDay, and a brief delay attributed to leadership changes in November.
Developers eager to contribute to the GPT Store will need to adhere to OpenAI’s updated usage policies and GPT brand guidelines, ensuring compliance before their creations are eligible for listing. Additionally, they must verify their user profiles and publish their GPTs as “public” to be featured in the store.
GPTs, requiring no coding experience, can be as straightforward or sophisticated as developers desire. For instance, a GPT can be trained on a cookbook collection to provide insights into specific recipes, or it could digest a company’s proprietary codebases, aiding developers in maintaining style and generating code aligned with best practices.
OpenAI’s GPT Builder tool facilitates the process, allowing developers to input desired capabilities in plain language, resulting in the creation of an AI-powered chatbot. While developers have been able to create and share GPTs through the ChatGPT website since DevDay, the GPT Store will mark the first time they can publicly list their creations.
One looming question surrounds the potential implementation of a revenue-sharing scheme in the GPT Store. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and CTO Mira Murati previously disclosed in November that there was no firm plan for GPT monetization. The email confirming the imminent launch of the GPT Store provides no insight into what developers can expect on the payments front, leaving the industry in suspense until next week.
An OpenAI spokesperson assured TechCrunch that more details, including any potential revenue-sharing arrangements, would be revealed during the launch next week.
As OpenAI makes this significant leap from an AI model provider to a platform, the GPT Store signifies a pivotal moment in the democratization of generative AI app creation, particularly for those utilizing OpenAI’s family of models. However, questions linger about the potential impact on consultancies specializing in building similar AI applications for clients.
OpenAI’s move aligns with its strategic shift, first hinted at in March with the launch of plug-ins for ChatGPT. This move brought third parties into OpenAI’s model ecosystem, laying the foundation for the company’s evolving ambitions.
The industry now stands on the brink of a transformative era in AI application development, fueled by the democratizing force of GPTs. While the implications for consultancies remain uncertain, the launch of the GPT Store is poised to shape the future of AI application creation and consumption. The world eagerly awaits to see how this revolutionary platform unfolds and reshapes the landscape of artificial intelligence.
