With 800 million weekly users, OpenAI’s Head of ChatGPT outlines an ambitious plan to transform the platform into a dynamic ecosystem of third-party applications.
The Evolution of ChatGPT: From Chatbot to OS
When Nick Turley joined OpenAI in 2022 to lead ChatGPT, his goal was to bring cutting-edge AI to the public. Three years later, the product has exploded to 800 million weekly active users — and Turley now envisions ChatGPT as a new kind of operating system.
- Drawing inspiration from web browsers, he sees ChatGPT becoming a central hub where users interact with AI-powered apps, much like using Chrome or Safari to access web tools.
- This operating system wouldn’t replace Windows or macOS but instead offer a software layer that enhances productivity, learning, and commerce through AI.
Turley believes ChatGPT is still in its “command line era,” lacking user-friendly interfaces and intuitive app-based interactions. That’s what the next phase aims to change.
Why ChatGPT’s Future Is Built on Third-Party Apps
OpenAI can’t build everything. That’s why the company is opening ChatGPT to external developers, allowing them to embed apps directly within the chat interface.
- Apps for writing, coding, shopping, education, and entertainment are just the beginning.
- Third-party apps from brands like Expedia, Uber, and DoorDash will let users transact without leaving ChatGPT.
- This integration is central to OpenAI’s e-commerce ambitions, enabling in-app purchases, bookings, and subscriptions.
Turley compares the opportunity to the mobile app boom, where companies like Uber and Instagram became possible thanks to smartphones. Now, ChatGPT may enable the next generation of AI-native businesses.
A Developer Ecosystem That Reaches 800M Users
Developers are key to this transformation. Unlike previous initiatives like plugins or the GPT Store, which were siloed, these new apps are part of the core ChatGPT experience.
- Developers gain access to a massive, engaged user base.
- Apps can interact dynamically with users, far beyond the chatbot paradigm.
- OpenAI is still working through monetization and ranking policies, including whether paid placement will be allowed.
For now, OpenAI is focused on fairness and user experience, ensuring apps are relevant and transparent without cluttering the interface with low-quality tools.
Data Privacy: The Next Engineering Challenge
With the rise of in-app services comes the critical issue of data privacy. Turley says OpenAI is developing features to give users fine-grained control over what data apps can access.
- Apps will be required to request only the minimum necessary data.
- Users will be informed about what data is being shared and why.
- OpenAI is exploring partitioned memory — allowing users to keep health, personal, or financial data in separate “vaults.”
This is a technical and ethical challenge that OpenAI is treating as a research problem, not just a product feature.
Hardware, Browsers, and the Broader Vision
OpenAI is also looking beyond software. The company is rumored to be working on a web browser and hardware devices with Apple design legend Jony Ive.
- These tools could extend ChatGPT’s reach into productivity, entertainment, and even social interaction.
- Turley envisions a “family of products” that share a single identity layer — where personalization, memory, and user goals are connected across platforms.
This ecosystem thinking reinforces the idea that ChatGPT is not a single app, but a foundation for future computing.
The Consumer Business Is the Mission
Some OpenAI insiders worry that commercial efforts might distract from the nonprofit’s core goal: ensuring AGI benefits all of humanity. Turley sees it differently.
“ChatGPT is the delivery vehicle for the mission,” he says.
- The consumer-facing product is how AGI reaches people and improves lives in tangible ways.
- Examples include an 89-year-old teaching himself to code or a parent helping an autistic child model social behavior.
- For Turley, these stories prove that OpenAI’s research gains meaning through real-world impact.
So while the consumer business does generate revenue, its purpose isn’t just to fund research — it’s how the mission is fulfilled.
