At this year’s OpenAI Dev Day, I think we saw the next chapter of software unfold. The big headline wasn’t just about new models—it was about an entirely new way of building and interacting with apps. OpenAI’s introduction of AppKit hints at a world where chat itself becomes the operating system. During my time at OpenAI there was a lot of conversation about the future of interaction and I think we’re starting to see some of that realized.
From APIs to Apps Inside ChatGPT
OpenAI rolled out several major tools at Dev Day: the Sora 2 API, the Agents SDK for workflow automation, and most notably, apps that run directly inside ChatGPT. These apps use the MCP protocol and a lightweight UI layer, allowing developers to create fully interactive experiences controlled through natural language.
During the demos, OpenAI showcased Zillow and Spotify apps running directly inside ChatGPT. With simple prompts, users could browse homes on Zillow or create Spotify playlists—all within a conversation. It wasn’t just smoother interaction; it was a redefinition of how people use software.
The End of the Traditional App UI
Once an app lives inside ChatGPT, the traditional UI starts to fade into the background. The chat becomes the interface. Whether you’re on a laptop or an audio-only device, the key is that apps become steerable by language.
That shift is profound. It moves intelligence out of the app itself and into the AI layer. The app becomes more of a functional or content layer, while reasoning and orchestration are handled by ChatGPT.
Building AI-Native Applications
With the ChatGPT Apps SDK integrations, developers can now offload complex reasoning and workflow management to ChatGPT. That means they can focus on their app’s unique data, logic, and content instead of rebuilding intelligence from scratch.
Even better, getting started is surprisingly fast. Using OpenAI’s sample code and protocol examples, I was able to get an app running in minutes. It’s a glimpse of what “AI-native” development will look like: lightweight, connected, and powered by language models.
A New Era of Devices and Interaction
Later in the day, Sam Altman sat down with design legend Johnny Ive to discuss a family of OpenAI devices in the works. While details were sparse, the intent was clear—these devices are designed around how humans and AI will interact in the future. The ChatGPT app platform feels like the first step toward that world.
What Comes Next
Integrating apps into ChatGPT means rethinking what an “app” even is. The apps of the future won’t all live behind icons or URLs; they’ll live in conversation. And that means the future of software could sound—and feel—a lot more human.
@AndrewMayne 