OpenAI doubles down on monetization, opening a custom-chatbot store
Open(AI) for business… OpenAI opened its GPT Store this week, where subscribers can create, browse, and use customized ChatGPT-powered bots (no coding experience necessary). Like regular apps, GPT chatbots are designed for specific uses. Just a few examples out of the 3M+ custom bots that’ve been created: there’s one for movie recs, one for flirting help (“Rizz GPT”), and several for making AI-generated text sound more human (good luck, teachers). Bot creators will be rewarded based on engagement.
Only subscribers to the $20/month ChatGPT Plus service (and paid enterprise users) can use custom bots, including one by AllTrails that recommends hiking paths and another by Canva for graphic design.
Gotta figure out how to make $$ on this thing… The GPT Store is part of OpenAI’s effort to turn its viral chatbot into a viral moneymaker. As of last spring, running ChatGPT cost about $700K/day, and might be even costlier now. The GPT Store could encourage more sign-ups for paid subscriptions (which include perks like faster response times). This week OpenAI also launched a paid tier for small teams. Eventually, the GPT Store could start raking in dough the same ways Apple’s and Google’s app stores do.
Cash wasn’t always king at OpenAI. CEO Sam Altman was briefly ousted in November after a power struggle between commercialization and safety boiled over.
More money, more problems… The more bank OpenAI earns by monetizing its model, the more it could be on the hook if things turn sour. The GPT Store opens a Pandora’s box of content-moderation challenges and potential legal issues (which, btw, OpenAI already has plenty of). The New York Times sued the company over copyright-infringement claims last month, which could mean billions in damages if OpenAI loses.