'ChatGPT is dead': OpenAI plans to ditch chatbots for agents in upcoming updates of AI model

OpenAI plans to transform ChatGPT into a "superapp" that combines coding tools and AI agents, with executives aiming to focus the product on the functions that offer the most revenue possible ahead of its Initial Public Offering (IPO) later this year, The Financial Times reported on Sunday.

The company is facing growing pressure to forge a path to profitability by driving higher revenue, with the main strategy being to attract more lucrative clients and compete more fiercely with rival Anthropic.

The main change would be the focus OpenAI is giving to agents over chatbots, even if the latter is the reason why the company became "the face of the AI revolution" when it launched back in 2022.

The company, according to the FT, will focus its resources on developing Codex, an AI agent that helps with coding and software development, which is included in OpenAI's premium paid features.

The overhaul is reportedly set to be unveiled in the coming weeks, initially appearing as an update to the ChatGPT app that encourages customers to use coding, image generation, and apps from external partners.

“Chat is dead,” one senior OpenAI employee told FT when asked about the future pathway for the company.

OpenAI, whose estimated value is around $850 billion, will aim to give its users a product more similar to Anthropic's models, which focus on AI agents capable of handling multiple tasks simultaneously from a single instruction.

"What we’re building towards is where you have your own personal agent that is capable of helping you across everything in your life, be it personally or at work," Thibault Sottiaux, who previously ran Codex and now leads all of OpenAI’s core product and platform, told the FT.

“You can connect through it on your mobile, desktop, or web. When you’re in the car, you can talk to it,” he added.

“When we have [artificial general intelligence], I don’t think there will be a large number of distinct brands,” said Alex Embiricos, OpenAI’s head of enterprise product.

“Probably there will be a single entity that I can talk to that can do whatever I need,” he added.

Currently, the company remains largely reliant on its individual users, with company contracts accounting for roughly 40% of OpenAI's income (which will rise to 50% in the coming year, according to internal estimates).

According to Jenny Xiao, a partner at Leonis Capital and a former researcher at OpenAI, the company used to "swing for the fences," prioritizing innovation over profitable products.

“Now the two are converging, because both of them are trying to aim for an IPO and investors care more about money than dreams,” she told FT.