OpenAI has taken another step toward turning ChatGPT into much more than a simple chatbot. The company has launched the App Directory, a catalog of applications integrated directly into the AI’s interface, allowing third-party services to be used within the conversation itself—without redirects or switching tabs.

In practice, ChatGPT now functions as a central hub for digital actions. Instead of just answering questions, it can perform full tasks, access external services, and interact with different platforms in a single workflow. This move reinforces OpenAI’s ambition to create a true “everything app,” capable of consolidating a variety of daily activities.

How the App Directory works in practice

The new directory allows users to discover, activate, and use apps directly in the chat. These apps act as extensions of ChatGPT, using the conversation as the main interface to perform actions.

With this change, OpenAI has also simplified the terminology: what were previously called connectors are now simply called Apps. The goal is to unify everything under a single concept—from tools that retrieve external data to apps that display visual elements and interactive controls within the chat.

These apps can take different forms. Some show cards, lists, and menus; others perform advanced searches, organize information, or execute recurring tasks based on user data. Everything can be triggered via natural language commands or selected manually from the tools menu.