OpenAI, the giant in the field of artificial intelligence, recently unveiled an ambitious plan. Sam Altman, the leader of OpenAI, announced that they plan to build an app store-like platform that will serve as a hub for all ChatGPT apps. This move will give OpenAI a dominant position in the AI ​​model ecosystem.

Simply put, Altman's goal is to centralize all large-scale AI models on one platform, creating an App Store similar to the LLM version. This will give OpenAI full control over the ecosystem of AI models. This platform will achieve a two-way connection, on which developers can sell their customized AI models according to their needs, while enterprises can easily view and use the LLM on the market.

According to insiders, the plan can be summed up as OpenAI's version of an "app store," which will provide businesses with access to the latest LLMs. This means that companies can quickly find the most suitable LLM according to their needs, whether it is used to identify financial fraud, or provide judgments and answer industry questions based on the latest market information, they can all be found in one go. At the same time, this can also hedge the risk that no AI model will occupy an absolute leading position in the future.

In addition to being beneficial to enterprises, OpenAI believes that the current usage rate of ChatGPT-related plug-ins is not high, and establishing a platform similar to an "app store" can effectively increase the usage rate of plug-ins. However, information on how the fee will be charged has not yet been released.

Personalization of AI models

The emergence of such a platform will undoubtedly make many small companies rejoice. Because, even if the model they developed uses ChatGPT, the usage rate may not be high. The platform developed by OpenAI can undoubtedly attract traffic for the models developed by these small companies. For example, Aquant, a tech company, has developed a model specifically for equipment manufacturers to better provide maintenance services to their customers. Aquant just recently launched its own chatbot using ChatGPT. Aquant says the bot is extremely useful and can efficiently answer questions about equipment maintenance.

Aquant's main customers include big companies in the industry, such as Hewlett-Packard, Johnson & Johnson, Canon, etc. These companies can use Aquant's models, combined with data from their own devices, to further customize ChatGPT. Shahar Chen, CEO of Aquant, said that the data will not be shared among customers, which means that each customer can customize its own model.

Chen emphasized, “Our work cannot be underestimated. Each model has its own area of ​​expertise. If you want chatbots to generate more accurate content, you must use our fine-tuned, more professional models.” Currently, Aquant has About 100 enterprise customers, 6 of them use the APP equipped with ChatGPT, "Service Copilot". The company pays Aquant from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars per month based on usage.

In order to increase its popularity, Aquant has begun to be listed on the Salesforce AppExchange and ServiceNow Store to enhance its presence. Aquant was even considered launching under the banner of OpenAI’s arch-rival Google, but that plan has yet to materialize.

In a similar situation to Aquant is the educational app Khan Academy, which has developed a model called “Khanmigo” for teachers and students that also uses ChatGPT. The main function of "Khanmigo" is to identify cheating, provide teachers with answers to classroom exercises, etc. Sal Khan, CEO of Khan Academy, said that they are planning to make "Khanmigo" available in the app store or provide plug-ins directly on the Web.

If OpenAI can really build a large LLM shop, these companies will undoubtedly benefit a lot.

Potential Challenges and Competition for AI Model Stores

However, as appealing as OpenAI's idea may seem, in practice, there are already a few similar "app stores" on the market. For example, technology giants Microsoft and Salesforce, which have partnerships with OpenAI, have their own model application stores for the chatbots they create. If OpenAI is really going to build a large LLM shop, it may face some competitive pressure.

In addition, there are some technology companies that have not cooperated with OpenAI, such as Anthropic and Cohere. If OpenAI develops such a platform, it could spark competition between these companies and OpenAI. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman first revealed the plan at the conference, according to a participant at the developer conference in London. However, a spokesperson for OpenAI said in a statement that "at this time we are not actively engaged in this matter."

Microsoft's plug-in system

If OpenAI can really succeed in building such an LLM shop, then the field of AI may usher in a new competition. It is worth noting that Microsoft just released a powerful plug-in system in May this year. OpenAI's LLM app store could compete directly with Microsoft in an attempt to grab market share. After all, Microsoft is also relying on ChatGPT.

In May of this year, Microsoft released Windows Copilot at the conference, an AI assistant integrated in Windows 11 that can be used in all applications and programs.

With this AI assistant, every user can become a power user, customize their own Windows, and seamlessly connect between their favorite programs. Windows Copilot is much simpler than the Bing chat link that Microsoft added to the taskbar. What's more, since Windows Copilot is built on the same foundation as Bing Chat, developers writing plugins for Bing or ChatGPT can directly extend Windows Copilot.

Challenges of OpenAI's plugin system

In March of this year, OpenAI proposed a vision and launched a series of ChatGPT plugins. However, the actual results were not ideal. Users can use the chatbot to query sites like OpenTable, Shopify or Expedia, enabling users to quickly book restaurants or buy products without visiting the corresponding websites, OpenAI said.

However, these plugins have not been as popular as expected. In a meeting with developers last month, Altman said that these plug-ins

The piece "does not meet market demand".

Therefore, the usage rate of the ChatGPT plugin is still low. This poses some challenges for OpenAI's app store plans.

The Future of AI Model Stores

Although OpenAI's plug-in system has not achieved the desired effect, it will be a major breakthrough if OpenAI can successfully build a large LLM shop. This will provide a centralized platform for developers and users of AI models, enabling them to communicate and collaborate more easily. However, the success of this plan still needs to face many challenges, including how to attract developers and users, how to deal with competition with other technology giants, and how to ensure the security and reliability of the platform. These are the problems that OpenAI needs to solve in the future.