OpenAI today announced its support of new third-party plugins for ChatGPT. OpenAI, he said, is offering a web browsing plugin and a code execution plugin. He added that the company is open-sourcing the code for a retrieval plugin. OpenAI announced that plugin developers who have been invited off the company’s waitlist can use its documentation to build a plugin for ChatGPT. The first plugins have already been created by companies including Expedia, Instacart, Kayak, OpenTable and Zapier.
A platform generally refers to a software or hardware system that provides a foundation or framework for other applications or services to run on. It can be thought of as a base upon which other software or services can be built and deployed.
A platform typically includes some combination of hardware, software, and networking components, as well as APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that allow developers to interact with the platform’s services and data. Platforms can be designed for a variety of purposes, such as hosting websites or applications, managing data or workflows, or providing access to specialized services or resources.
In the case of ChatGPT, the introduction of plugins means that the platform now allows third-party developers to build and deploy their own applications or services on top of the ChatGPT framework. This expands the platform’s capabilities and functionality, making it more versatile and adaptable to a wider range of use cases.
The update represents a major milestone in the development of AI chat as a platform for accessing and interacting with the internet. ChatGPT is not only providing a service, it is creating an ecosystem where developers can create and distribute their own plugins for the benefit of users. This is similar to how Apple’s App Store revolutionized the mobile industry by allowing third-party apps to flourish on its devices. ChatGPT’s plugin feature could potentially open up new possibilities and markets for AI chat in the future.
OpenAI said they would begin extending plugin alpha access to users and developers from its waitlist and plan to roll out larger-scale access “over time.”