OpenAI unveils ChatGPT app integration feature

The OpenAI logo appears on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen with random binary data, March 9, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

OpenAI on Monday unveiled a new feature for ChatGPT, the leading generative AI model with 800 million weekly users, enabling it to interact with everyday apps like Spotify and Booking.com.

Chief Executive Sam Altman announced the new tool to a crowd of enthusiastic developers gathered in San Francisco for the company’s annual “Developer Day.”

The new feature, Apps SDK, allows ChatGPT to interact with various apps to select music, search for real estate or explore hotel and flight booking sites.

Initial partners including Booking.com, Canva, Coursera, Figma, Expedia, Spotify and Zillow launched Monday in markets where their services operate.

Additional partners, including Uber, AllTrails and DoorDash, are expected later this year.

However, the feature is not yet available in Europe, where rules on deployment of data-heavy AI tools are stricter.

The move marks a significant expansion of ChatGPT’s capabilities, blending traditional interactive elements like maps and playlists with conversational AI.

Users could, for example, ask “Spotify, make a playlist for my party this Friday” and have the music streaming app intervene within the chat.

ChatGPT can also suggest apps when relevant to the conversation.

For example, if a user is discussing buying a new home, ChatGPT can turn to the Zillow app to browse listings matching their budget on an interactive map inside ChatGPT.