OpenAI's latest business tool: ChatGPT 'connectors'

OpenAI is preparing to roll out a new feature allowing business users to connect third-party apps like Slack and Google Drive to ChatGPT, marking a strategic push by the company into the enterprise productivity and workflow automation space.

Unlocking platform data: The feature, known as connectors, is in early testing with select business customers. Initially, integrations will include Google Drive, Microsoft 365, Confluence, and Slack, with more connectors expected to follow. These integrations will enable ChatGPT to retrieve and reason over data from these platforms, unlocking new use cases in knowledge management, customer support, and internal communications.

OpenAI’s enterprise play: Connectors are part of OpenAI’s broader strategy to evolve ChatGPT into a powerful enterprise assistant. Since the launch of its ChatGPT Team and Enterprise plans, OpenAI has been steadily enhancing its value proposition to business users, many of whom are looking to embed generative AI into their daily operations.

Beyond Custom GPTs: The initiative builds on the momentum of Custom GPTs, which allow users to build personalized versions of ChatGPT with unique instructions and APIs. Connectors represent the next logical step, allowing those Custom GPTs to interact with an organization’s core tools and documents. By integrating with services like Slack, ChatGPT could summarize team conversations, surface relevant files from Google Drive, and even assist with meeting prep by compiling notes from various sources – all in natural language.

Taking on Microsoft: The move also signals OpenAI’s increasing competition with Microsoft, which has integrated GPT-4 into its own productivity suite via Copilot. However, OpenAI’s platform-agnostic approach may appeal to businesses using a wider mix of tools. OpenAI has not yet announced a full public rollout date, but broader availability of connectors is expected later in 2025.