GPT Store makes AI more user-friendly for consumers, but this shift may alienate the developers that OpenAI needs the most. Sam Altman wants developers to build useful tools with ChatGPT, but his company is now frustrating these developers. Just before Christmas, OpenAI sent an email to plugin developers, asking those who were building practical tools with ChatGPT to move their work to GPT. "Thank you for your interest in developing ChatGPT plugins. We have gained experience from plugins and created GPT," OpenAI said in the email to developers. "If you have explored building plugins before, most of the developer setup (using GPT) is similar, and you can learn more about moving from scratch or building custom actions in our developer documentation." After receiving the email, some developers wrote "RIP Plugins" on X. The purpose of GPT and plugins is the same - to create practical uses for ChatGPT, but there are key differences that make developers prefer plugins. The main difference is that GPT is built within ChatGPT with a no-code chat interface, while plugins are built with code outside of ChatGPT. Plugins are like applications connected to ChatGPT, while GPT is more like a chatbot with specific knowledge and instructions. GPT is more user-friendly for ordinary people, but plugins offer more functionality (which is why developers often prefer them). "Let me tell you, plugins haven't disappeared," said Logan Kilpatrick, OpenAI's Developer Relations Manager, in response to a tweet from a developer who was unhappy with the email. "Once GPT Store is launched, I imagine most people will switch to GPT," Kilpatrick said in another tweet. Since its launch in March 2023, developers have built thousands of ChatGPT plugins, including plugins from companies like Expedia, Instacart, and Kayak. On DevDay, November 6th, OpenAI removed plugins from the main screen of ChatGPT, making them difficult to access. However, Sam Altman previously stated in an interview with Human Loop, "ChatGPT plugins do not meet market demand," although OpenAI later requested the removal of that article. Now the company is trying to reform plugins through the more consumer-oriented GPT Store. "As a plugin developer, it feels different to me," said a user on X. "Plugins are better than customizing GPT," said another developer. "I sincerely hope that OpenAI does not gradually phase out plugins," said a post on a developer forum, pointing out that "it is crucial for us to continue using such powerful tools for AI application development and progress." OpenAI's DevDay conference was entirely aimed at convincing developers to build products on its platform. The goal of GPT Store is to make AI agents more digestible for consumers, but this may alienate the developer community that OpenAI needs to create excellent GPTs. This is not the first time Altman has upset developers. Earlier this year, an update to ChatGPT included PDF analysis functionality, rendering many developers' products useless. "But as we said, don't build a simple wrapper on top of OpenAI," Altman said. "Over time, we intend to build a powerful platform you expect." However, this does not seem obvious to developers. One reason for prioritizing the limited functionality of GPT may be to address security concerns surrounding plugins. Researchers have stated that ChatGPT plugins can be used to steal someone's chat history, obtain personal information, and allow code execution on someone's machine. GPT aims to be more secure, but currently, developers are not very interested in building them. In the early days of Apple, Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs argued about how many ports should be on a computer. Wozniak wanted more ports, which would be friendlier to computer enthusiasts who wanted to modify their home setups, while Jobs wanted fewer ports. Jobs ultimately won because fewer ports created a cleaner product that ordinary people preferred. Altman and OpenAI seem to have chosen Apple's route - pleasing ordinary people rather than developers. The difference is that Apple was selling mature products at the time, while OpenAI (currently striving to become the second most valuable startup in the United States) needs developers to build useful AI applications.