OpenAI is planning the biggest redesign of ChatGPT since its 2022 launch, with plans to transform the chatbot into a “superapp” combining coding tools, AI agents, and third-party integrations, according to a report by the Financial Times.
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This is coming as the $850 billion company pushes toward profitability ahead of a planned initial public offering.
The huge overhaul, set to begin rolling out in the coming weeks, paints the picture of a strategic shift away from the company’s chatbot origins toward higher-value products capable of performing tasks for users, and generating more revenue in the process.
The changes come as OpenAI faces growing pressure to win lucrative business customers and compete more aggressively with rival Anthropic.
What OpenAI is saying
According to the report, Thibault Sottiaux, who previously led Codex and now heads all of OpenAI’s core product and platform, outlined the vision for the redesigned product.
- “It will transcend the actual surface… what we’re building towards is where you have your own personal agent that is capable of helping you across everything in your life, be it personally or at work,” he told the Financial Times.
- “You can connect through it on your mobile, desktop or web. When you’re in the car, you can talk to it,” he added.
- Alex Embiricos, OpenAI’s head of enterprise product, went even further, saying: “When we have AGI, I don’t think there will be a large number of distinct brands. Probably there will be a single entity that I can talk to that can do whatever I need.”
One senior OpenAI employee was more blunt, saying: “Chat is dead.”
More insights
The redesigned ChatGPT interface will add new prompts and features directing users toward coding tools, image generation, and applications built by partners including Canva and Booking.com.
- Central to the overhaul is Codex, OpenAI’s coding product, which has grown its weekly active user base sixfold to more than 5 million since the launch of a desktop application in February.
- The majority of Codex users are paying customers, a key distinction from ChatGPT, where most of the nearly 1 billion users access the service for free.
- The 2 million businesses currently using OpenAI’s products account for roughly 40% of its revenue, a share the company expects to rise to 50% by the end of the year.
- Over time, OpenAI intends to phase out manual prompts, betting that its models will be able to automatically understand user intentions when they open the app or visit the site.
The strategic pivot brings OpenAI closer in direction to Anthropic, whose business-first approach has driven rapid growth and will anchor its own IPO pitch to investors this year.
What you should know
Earlier this year, Nairametrics reported that OpenAI announced plans to introduce advertisements on ChatGPT, with a pilot program set to launch in a matter of weeks.
In a post shared on X, the company said the initial rollout will take place in the United States and will apply to users on the free tier as well as subscribers to its lower-cost Go plan. Users on Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans will continue to have an ad-free experience.
The introduction of ads represented a significant shift in OpenAI’s monetization strategy as the company explores new revenue streams for its rapidly growing AI platform.
