Ep 631: AI’s App Store Moment? Are ChatGPT’s Apps The Next Big Thing or Smoke and Mirrors?
🎯 Summary
Podcast Episode Summary: Ep 631: AI’s App Store Moment? Are ChatGPT’s Apps The Next Big Thing or Smoke and Mirrors?
This episode of the Everyday AI Show dives deep into OpenAI’s recent unveiling of ChatGPT Apps, analyzing whether this feature represents a genuine “App Store moment” for the platform or if it’s another short-lived experiment, similar to the fate of ChatGPT Plugins. The host frames this development against the backdrop of the original iPhone launch, suggesting that future users might view a ChatGPT experience without apps as equally limited.
1. Focus Area
The primary focus is the launch, mechanics, and potential market impact of ChatGPT Apps following OpenAI’s DevDay. The discussion centers on transforming ChatGPT into a universal operating system for digital tasks, contrasting Apps with previous attempts like Plugins and Custom GPTs, and exploring the technical underpinnings (like the MCP standard) and business implications of this ecosystem shift.
2. Key Technical Insights
- Interactive GUI Integration: Apps fundamentally differ from Connectors and GPTs by rendering a rich, interactive Graphical User Interface (GUI) directly within the chat window, allowing users to interact with external services (like Canva or Zillow) without leaving the ChatGPT environment.
- Context Engineering Advantage: The core technical value proposition is leveraging the existing chat context. Apps can utilize the ongoing conversation history (context engineering) to perform tasks seamlessly, eliminating the need for copy-pasting or re-explaining requirements across different tools.
- Built on MCP Standard: The apps are built using the Model Context Protocol (MCP) from Anthropic, which enables developers to define both the application logic and the interactive user interface structure.
3. Business/Investment Angle
- Massive Market Potential: OpenAI claims 800 million weekly active users, and Goldman Sachs projects the resulting market opportunity to be between $15 billion and $25 billion.
- Productivity Gains: Initial testing suggests significant efficiency improvements; for example, Canva integration reportedly delivers a 400% faster design creation time by maintaining context within the chat.
- Ecosystem Lock-in Strategy: This move forces major software providers (CRMs, marketing tools, etc.) to build apps, as failure to integrate means risking irrelevance against AI-native competitors who leverage this new OS layer.
4. Notable Companies/People
- OpenAI: The central entity launching the Apps, SDK, and setting the strategic direction.
- Anthropic: Mentioned as the source of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) used for the apps.
- Launch Partners: Initial apps included Spotify, Zillow, Canva, Figma, Expedia, Booking.com, and Coursera. Upcoming partners include DoorDash, Instacart, Uber, and Peloton.
- Host (Jordan Wilson): Provides the “Hot Take,” arguing that while apps might be a short-term flap, they are a long-term home run if OpenAI successfully manages developer submission and discovery.
5. Future Implications
The conversation strongly suggests that OpenAI is positioning ChatGPT as the AI-era operating system. If successful, this will necessitate that nearly all major enterprise software (CRMs, email tools) develop native apps to maintain relevance, mirroring the necessity of having an iOS app in the mobile era. The success hinges on OpenAI’s ability to manage developer submissions and app discovery effectively, something they struggled with regarding the GPT Store.
6. Target Audience
This episode is highly valuable for AI Strategists, Product Managers, Software Developers, and Business Leaders interested in the practical evolution of generative AI platforms and understanding where to focus integration efforts for maximum ROI.
Comprehensive Summary
The podcast episode scrutinizes OpenAI’s introduction of ChatGPT Apps, questioning whether this marks the long-awaited “App Store moment” for generative AI or if it’s merely another marketing push destined to fade like Plugins and the under-supported GPT Store.
The host details the functionality: Apps integrate rich, interactive GUIs from third-party services directly into the chat interface, allowing users to execute complex tasks without switching contexts. This is technically enabled by the Model Context Protocol (MCP), which allows the app to understand the ongoing conversation history—a concept the host terms “context engineering.” Examples highlighted include using the Canva app to instantly generate a deck based on prior research done within the chat, or using the Coursera app to request deeper explanations of a video concept without pausing playback.
A major point of contention is the comparison to previous attempts. Plugins were praised for their agentic capabilities but were abandoned. GPTs suffered from a low barrier to entry, leading to a store flooded with low-utility creations. Apps appear to be a synthesis, demanding more structure (via the SDK) while offering richer interaction than simple connectors.
The business case is compelling, supported by projections of a $15–$25 billion market and reported productivity spikes (e.g., 400% faster design creation with Canva). The host argues that this platform shift is an existential threat to existing enterprise software providers. If OpenAI successfully builds a robust developer ecosystem with clear submission and discovery paths (which they have yet to fully detail), every major SaaS product will be compelled to build an app to avoid being bypassed by AI-native workflows embedded within ChatGPT.
The host’s final “Hot Take” is cautiously optimistic: Apps are likely to see slow initial adoption (“a short-term flap”) because OpenAI hasn’t yet fully opened the submission process or clarified monetization. However, if they execute the developer platform correctly, this feature has the potential to become the primary interface for digital work, forcing competitors like Google and
🏢 Companies Mentioned
💬 Key Insights
"people are going to have to bring their services to where the demand is, and OpenAI owns demand. 800, according to OpenAI, 800 million weekly users."
"if you want to compete in the new business landscape, which is AI operating systems—and I've been super bullish on this before anyone was saying the words."
"I do assume probably any huge enterprise piece of software, your email marketing tools, your CRMs, they're going to have to go inside ChatGPT apps. I don't think they're going to have a choice..."
"The goal is for OpenAI to move beyond and to use apps to move beyond just being an AI chatbot, and they're trying to become the operating system in the AI era."
"And a lot of this goes to context, right? There's been all this buzz recently about the terminology 'context engineering,' right, which, not to brag, I've technically been teaching context engineering before anyone was talking about it... essentially, what this means is this allows all of the apps within ChatGPT to understand and work with your context within the chat window that you're using, right? So, you don't have to re-describe anything."
"OpenAI launched ChatGPT apps with integrated services out of the gate like Spotify, Zillow, Canva, Figma, and others. Their strategy essentially is to transform ChatGPT into a universal operating system for completing digital tasks."