ChatGPT will soon get 'biggest change' since its launch: AI agents, coding tools and more

OpenAI is reportedly gearing up to launch the largest overhaul of ChatGPT since its debut in 2022 as the company aims to transform the chatbot into a powerful “superapp”. The company is working to search for new revenue streams ahead of a highly anticipated IPO this year, and this change is said to be the part of ongoing restructuring in the company.

Citing more than a dozen current and former employees, The Financial Times reported that the San Francisco-based company is shaking up its internal resources to win over lucrative business customers and battle more fiercely with Anthropic. Under pressure to show a clear path to profitability for its initial public offering (IPO), OpenAI is reportedly moving away from simply answering questions and shifting toward AI “agents” that can autonomously perform complex everyday tasks.

“Chat is dead,” a senior OpenAI employee told the publication.

The rise of AI Agents and coding tools

OpenAI executives now view ChatGPT, which now has one billion users, as a gateway to introduce people to higher-value, paid services, and in-turn, the company will offer advanced tools. The upcoming overhaul will reportedly give prominence to “Codex” coding product that writes software based on simple text instructions. The strategy also pivots heavily toward AI agents.

“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, OpenAI's head of core product and platform, was quoted as saying.

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

Redesigning ChatGPT app for the IPO Push

The upgrade, which will begin rolling out in the coming weeks, will initially change how ChatGPT looks on web browsers and mobile apps, the report highlighted. The interface is expected to feature a new design, and users will be guided toward coding features, image-generation tools, and third-party applications built by external partners like Canva and Booking.com.

Over time, OpenAI plans to phase out these manual prompts entirely, betting that the underlying AI will automatically figure out what a user wants to do, the report pointed out. To achieve this vision, OpenAI has underwent a massive corporate restructuring. Teams across ChatGPT and Codex have been consolidated under Sottiaux's single leadership group, following the high-profile departures of several senior executives, including former product head Kevin Weil.