Nick Turley, who joined OpenAI in 2022, has successfully increased ChatGPT's weekly active users to 800 million. He is now planning a more ambitious transformation: turning ChatGPT into a new type of operating system filled with third-party applications.
Turley shared his vision for the future of ChatGPT during an interview at Fort Mason in San Francisco, the venue for OpenAI's third annual developer conference. The core of his vision is to transform ChatGPT from a powerful chat tool into a platform that can change the way people interact with software.
Learning from Browsers, Building an Application Ecosystem
Turley revealed that he drew inspiration from web browsers. Browsers have become the main place where people work, and in some ways, they function like operating systems. He believes ChatGPT will develop in a similar way.
To achieve this goal, OpenAI is increasing its investment in third-party applications. Although initiatives such as ChatGPT plugins and the GPT Store, launched in 2023, had limited success, OpenAI seems to have found a more effective strategy this time.
The new application releases are the most attractive promotion for developers: Third-party developers can now reach their users directly within the daily conversations of ChatGPT's 800 million users. Applications are no longer just a collection of small widgets, but rather an integral part of ChatGPT's core experience. Developers can build more interactive experiences on top of this, allowing them to better engage with users.
This ecosystem development also aligns with OpenAI's vision of turning ChatGPT into a e-commerce platform. Applications from companies like Expedia, DoorDash, and Uber can facilitate transactions and create new revenue streams for both third parties and OpenAI.
Hardware and Mission: The Core of the Ecosystem
Turley did not confirm whether OpenAI is developing a browser, but admitted that browsers "are really interesting." OpenAI is collaborating with Jony Ive and his Apple senior design team to develop hardware devices. Turley believes that a ChatGPT operating system rich in applications will become a core component of OpenAI's consumer ecosystem.
When talking about the company's non-profit mission, Turley presented a thought-provoking view: he believes ChatGPT is the "delivery vehicle" for OpenAI's non-profit mission, aimed at developing and distributing general artificial intelligence (AGI) in a way that benefits humanity. In his view, consumer businesses are not only a way to fund research, but also a practical approach to delivering AGI to the public and benefiting humanity.
Challenges and Privacy: Fine-Tuned Management
However, building an operating system also comes with many challenges, especially in terms of app promotion and data privacy.
App Promotion: Turley said that OpenAI does not rule out allowing certain companies to pay to have their applications prioritized in ChatGPT, but the company is carefully studying how to do so without compromising the user experience.
User Privacy: Developers must "collect only the minimum amount of data required to perform the functionality of the tool". To better protect user privacy, OpenAI may introduce new features such as "partitioned memory", which would allow users to grant developers fine-grained data access permissions, such as separating conversation data related to health and music. Turley emphasized that transparency is non-negotiable for OpenAI.
Turley believes that just as companies like Uber benefited from the emergence of mobile platforms, the new ChatGPT platform will also give rise to an entire generation of applications that were previously impossible to achieve.
