OpenAI rolls out a ChatGPT app store to let AI do more than answer questions
The new app directory turns ChatGPT into a place where users can book trips, design slides, shop, and complete tasks without switching apps.
Imagine asking an AI a question and getting not just answers, but actions, like buying groceries, booking a trip, creating a slide deck, or checking apartment listings, all without leaving the same screen. Until recently, most AI tools could answer questions, summarize text, or generate images, but users still needed to switch to other apps or websites to finish real tasks. That stops many people from getting things done quickly.
Now, the arrival of the ChatGPT app store could help reduce that friction. Instead of treating ChatGPT like a simple chatbot you open and close, OpenAI is positioning it as a central place where different tools and services can live and work together.
Emmanuel Umahi
What is the ChatGPT app store and how does it work?
OpenAI has introduced a new app directory inside ChatGPT. It looks and feels like an “app store” because users can browse, discover, and use tools built by third‑party developers right within their chat interface. Developers can now submit their programs for review and possible publication through OpenAI’s developer platform.
This app store feature builds on earlier announcements by OpenAI. In October, the company said it was bringing “apps” to the chatbot to expand what users can do. Major platforms such as Expedia, Spotify, Zillow, and Canva already announced integrations that let users interact with their services directly from ChatGPT conversations. For example, you could generate a playlist, search for flights, find housing information, or turn a rough outline into a polished slide deck without leaving the chat.
To help developers build these experiences, OpenAI has released an Apps SDK (Software Development Kit) that's currently in beta. Developers can use this toolkit to create new experiences, submit them for review, and track their approval status. OpenAI says that a number of these approved apps will begin appearing inside ChatGPT over the next year.
Before, most people used ChatGPT for simple tasks: answering a question, summarizing a document, or generating text or images. With an app store, ChatGPT becomes more like a platform where you can complete full tasks. Instead of opening a separate travel app, design tool, or shopping site, you could do it all inside ChatGPT.
ChatGPT is taking a step toward a new kind of operating system
The app store is also part of a bigger vision at OpenAI. The company seems to be exploring how ChatGPT could evolve into something closer to an operating system.
Nick Turley, Head of ChatGPT at OpenAI, said that the long-term goal is for ChatGPT to work like a platform where you can “come and use applications” for different tasks, writing, coding, interacting with services, and more, all in one place. This direction suggests that the app store is not an end in itself but a building block for a larger ecosystem.
The launch of the ChatGPT app store is a major step because it changes what an AI can be. No longer is ChatGPT only a place you visit to ask questions; it is becoming a workspace where you can act, create, and complete tasks. As more apps arrive and developers build deeper integrations, ChatGPT may evolve into a central hub for much of your digital life.
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