OpenAI Adds App-Like Plugin Extensions to ChatGPT — SkimNews
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- OpenAI announced at Dev Day on Tuesday that developers can now build app-like experiences within ChatGPT using plugin extensions, giving third-party apps a dedicated home in the ChatGPT sidebar alongside existing integrations with Slack, SharePoint, Airtable, and Google Drive.
- OpenAI is introducing interactive panels that let users work with their connected tools while chatting with ChatGPT, including file viewers that support whatever file formats the developer's product uses.
- OpenAI is launching a new Plugin Creator tool for developers and a redesigned submission flow for the plugin directory that offers clearer feedback.
- OpenAI improved plugin ranking and recommendations in both its directory and within conversations, and users can now approve a plugin's access needs individually rather than wholesale.
- ChatGPT Sites — lightweight websites built with ChatGPT — can now host plugins, letting users share apps with colleagues who can then use them with their own connected data and permissions.
- OpenAI is adding support for the proposed MCP Events specification, which would let plugins start automations triggered by events in a connected app.
Why it matters: By turning ChatGPT into a host for interactive sidebar apps, event-driven automations, and shareable mini-sites, OpenAI is pushing ChatGPT past chatbot territory into a platform competing for the same real estate as productivity suites and app stores — making a ChatGPT integration increasingly table stakes for any tool that wants to stay visible in user workflows.
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