Shop ‘Til You Chat: OpenAI Delays Launch of Custom Chatbot Store!
The launch of an online store by OpenAI, where users can engage with personalized chatbots, is being postponed due to the disruption caused by the removal and subsequent reinstatement of CEO Sam Altman.
OpenAI shared the news in an email Thursday to people who have built GPTs, its term for customized versions of its popular ChatGPT chatbot. The company said it plans to launch its GPT Store in early 2024, rather than late 2023 as it originally planned.
“Although we expected to release it this month, a few unexpected things have kept us busy!” the email said.
On Nov. 6, San Francisco-based OpenAI announced at its first developer conference that users can start building custom versions of ChatGPT without having to learn coding. The change could help the AI startup beat the competition in an increasingly crowded market.
OpenAI said at the time that it plans to launch a store later this month, where users can find custom chatbots from other users — and monetize their own — in a similar way to apps in Apple Inc.’s App Store. OpenAI said in a letter Thursday that it had previously planned to open the store in December before its timeline shifted.
Company executives fired Altman on Nov. 17, saying in a statement that he was not “consistently honest” with OpenAI’s board, which “impeded its ability to fulfill its responsibilities.” The decision caused a whirlwind five days at the company, including a change in management positions and nearly all employees signing a letter saying they could quit if Altman was not rehired. Altman officially returned as CEO along with a revamped board on Wednesday.
An OpenAI spokesperson said the company had no further comment.
