OpenAI launches GPT store for custom AI chatbots

Following its announcement last week, OpenAI has introduced the GPT Store, an online marketplace for GPTs (Generative Pre-trained Transformers) and custom chatbot applications powered by advanced AI models such as GPT-4 and DALL-E 3.

Accessible in a new tab within the ChatGPT web client, the GPT Store offers a selection of GPTs created by OpenAI's partners as well as the broader developer community. On the community leaderboard, which is divided into sections for lifestyle, writing, research, programming, and education, GPT users can browse popular and trending GPTs. Access to the GPT Store is reserved for subscribers of OpenAI's premium ChatGPT plans, including ChatGPT Plus, ChatGPT Enterprise, and the newly introduced ChatGPT Team.

At launch, the GPT Store features several GPTs, including a trail recommender by AllTrails, a coding tutor from Khan Academy, and a content designer from Canva. Currently, these are accessible at no cost, though changes to this may be addressed later.

Creating GPTs is user-friendly, requiring no coding expertise. Developers can specify the desired capabilities of their GPTs in plain language using OpenAI's GPT-building tool, GPT Builder. This tool attempts to generate an AI-powered chatbot based on the provided criteria, allowing for simplicity or complexity based on the developer's preferences. For instance, a GPT can be trained on a collection of recipes to answer queries about specific ingredients or on a company's proprietary codebases to assist developers in adhering to style guidelines and generating code aligned with best practices.

To list GPTs in the GPT Store, developers must verify their user profiles and submit their GPTs to OpenAI's new review system, which combines both human and automated review processes. This ensures adherence to the company's terms of use. Users also have the option to report any GPTs that may inadvertently violate these terms. 

Upon launch, developers won't be able to charge for GPTs, but OpenAI plans to introduce a 'GPT builder revenue program' in Q1. U.S. builders are expected to earn income based on 'user engagement' with their GPTs, with specific payment criteria details to be provided at a later date.