The era of simple dialogues with artificial intelligence is coming to an end. OpenAI is preparing fundamental changes for its flagship product, ChatGPT, which could make it unrecognizable to millions of users. The company is making a strategic bet on transitioning from passive chatbots to active AI agents capable of not just generating text, but independently performing tasks on behalf of the user.
The coming weeks: the beginning of transformation
According to insiders, the first steps in this direction will be taken within the coming weeks. Updates will affect both the web version of the service and mobile applications. The main vector of development is aimed at turning ChatGPT into a kind of "superapp" — a single ecosystem combining various AI tools.
Instead of simply answering questions, the new version of the service will be able to schedule meetings, book trips, manage calendars, and search for information. OpenAI sees the future precisely in agents capable of autonomously solving users' everyday problems.
Integration of the outside world and development of Codex
To implement this ambitious task, the company is changing its product interface. Users will encounter programming tools and image generation more actively. An important step will be the integration of external partners' services, such as Canva for design and Booking.com for travel.
Special attention is being paid to the Codex platform. This direction allows for creating software and writing code based on text instructions, significantly expanding the assistant's technical capabilities.
In the long term, OpenAI plans to simplify interaction to a minimum: AI models should independently understand human intent and offer the necessary tools without additional prompts or complex commands.
A personal assistant in any situation
Thibaut Sottiaux, who heads all major products and platforms at OpenAI, formulated the company's ultimate goal: creating a personal AI assistant that will accompany a person in their work and personal life.
"We strive to create a situation where you have your own personal agent capable of helping you... in all your life, whether personal or work," Sottiaux noted. He emphasized the universality of access: "You can connect to it via a mobile phone, desktop computer, or web. When you are in the car, you can talk to it".
Business strategy and merging digital products
Technological changes also have a clear commercial rationale. OpenAI aims to increase its base of paying users and attract more corporate clients, who already provide a significant portion of the company's revenue.
Company leadership believes that with the development of technology, the boundary between chatbots, search engines, and programming services will disappear. Alex Embirikos, head of corporate products, believes that in the future, there will remain a single system capable of fulfilling any user request, making many separate brands redundant.
On the way to this, OpenAI is already testing new features. Recently, the company introduced tools for working with personal finances, allowing users to connect bank accounts to ChatGPT for analyzing expenses and savings. Currently, the service is available in beta mode only to a portion of users in the US, but it demonstrates the real potential of an AI agent in managing a person's real life.