We just got a massive ChatGPT reveal at OpenAI’s Dev Day.Dev Day is the company’s first-ever conference for developers. But CEO Sam Altman also dropped some huge news that affects all of us.
At the event, he announced “GPTs,” custom versions of ChatGPT that you can create yourself.
Think of GPTs like an instance of ChatGPT tailored to any purpose or task you want.
The best part? Zero coding required. You simply converse with ChatGPT to create a GPT.
Altman demonstrated this in real-time on stage. He built a prototype conversational agent for startup founders in seconds. And he did it all by having a conversation with ChatGPT.
You can also get access to top GPTs from others soon, too. OpenAI announced its rolling out the "GPT Store" later this month.
The event included a ton of other big updates, including:
In Episode 71 of the Marketing AI Show, I spoke with Marketing AI Institute founder/CEO Paul Roetzer about why this is such a big deal.
The most impressive feature of GPTs is that you can build powerful AI tools using only natural language. There is zero coding involved.
We’re looking at a future where a programmer is someone who talks to a machine and tells it what they want.
It just became so easy for anyone to build the AI tools they need. “There are a lot of startup founders today who probably don’t have a business model anymore,” says Roetzer.
It also removes one of the limiting factors to startup creation. Typically, you needed a technical cofounder to build a technology company.
“I don’t know that’s going to be true anymore,” says Roetzer.
People who share knowledge for a living—consultants, coaches, instructors, speakers—will now be able to build tools around their unique expertise at scale.
For example, you can now build a GPT based on any pool of knowledge you’ve built, like public speaking or interviews or podcasts. So if someone wants to have a conversation with you or that knowledge, they now can.
“It unlocks knowledge in entirely new ways. It makes that knowledge interactive and exciting,” says Roetzer.
OpenAI was clear this is a big step towards AI agents, or systems that can take actions for you online and in the real world.
And OpenAI might not be telling us the whole story.
Altman specifically referenced the fact that they are gradually and iteratively deploying AI agent technology so society can get prepared.
“It’s pretty apparent to me that OpenAI is further along than they’re telling the public,” says Roetzer.
They are likely moving quickly—more quickly than we see in public—toward a day where AI agents will take actions on your behalf.
If AI agents become a near-future reality, “they’re going to start doing the work of knowledge workers in many ways,” says Roetzer.
To future-proof your company and job, you need to start taking OpenAI’s hints seriously. Altman mentioned specifically that what was revealed at this year’s Dev Day will look quaint at next year’s event.
“They know they’ve got something way more powerful,” Roezter suspects.