OpenAI made a groundbreaking move by launching the GPT Store, a marketplace that enables users of the paid ChatGPT service to buy and sell specialized chatbot agents. Recognized for its ChatGPT product, which played a pivotal role in the AI boom, OpenAI already provides customized bots through the ChatGPT Plus service. The new store expands opportunities for users to monetize a diverse array of tools, allowing the creation of chatbot agents with unique personalities and themes, catering to tasks such as salary negotiation, lesson planning, and recipe development.

The GPT Store, often compared to Apple's App Store, is expected to stimulate further AI development from a broader user base, echoing Meta's offering of chatbots with distinct personalities. Originally scheduled to open in November, the launch faced delays due to internal upheaval, including the temporary removal of CEO Sam Altman. Despite the challenges, OpenAI has moved forward, emphasizing a commitment to a revenue-sharing program slated for the first quarter of this year. The program aims to compensate builders based on user engagement with their GPTs, although specific details remain undisclosed.

Available to ChatGPT Plus and Enterprise subscribers, the GPT Store also introduces a new subscription tier called Team, priced at $25 per month per user. Team subscribers gain access to create custom GPTs tailored to team requirements. Altman, during a recent demo day for developers, pledged to cover legal costs for developers facing copyright issues in their creations based on ChatGPT and OpenAI's technology. This offer aligns with OpenAI's acknowledgment of potential copyright challenges, given the inclusion of copyrighted material in the training corpus for ChatGPT.

Amidst the excitement, questions remain about whether the GPT Store will exclusively support custom chatbots or extend its capabilities to include bespoke image bots. OpenAI's flagship product, ChatGPT, initially released in November 2022, quickly gained traction, accumulating 100 million users within months. OpenAI's diverse product portfolio also includes the Dall-E image generation software, further fueling curiosity about potential integrations within the newly launched GPT Store.