OpenAI’s GPT Store Has Left Some Developers in the Lurch

When OpenAI launched its platform for custom GPTs, Josh Brent Villocido was stoked to learn that one of his creations would be featured.

The ascendant AI company announced at its November 2023 developer day that it would launch a store that would host GPTs, custom skins that run on top of its proprietary ChatGPT technology. People can create GPTs for specific tasks, like analyzing spreadsheets, drumming up tattoo designs, or providing customer support. And when OpenAI CEO Sam Altman spoke at the dev day, he touched on potential earning opportunities for developers.

“Revenue sharing is important to us,” Altman said.” We’re going to pay people who build the most useful and the most-used GPTs a portion of our revenue.”

In some ways GPTs are similar to apps, though OpenAI makes a distinction between the lightweight GPTs and enterprise applications built on top of its API. OpenAI’s move to create a marketplace for developers was part of its strategy to position itself as not just a chatbot maker but one of the most important platforms in the AI era.

Villocido, a 22-year-old med student in the Philippines, saw these GPTs as a way to bring in extra income for himself. They didn’t require advanced coding. He ended up building more than 250 GPTs. His Books GPT, which churns out personalized book recommendations and was promoted by OpenAI at the Store’s launch, is his most popular.

But 10 months after its launch, it seems that revenue-sharing has been reserved for a tiny number of developers in an invite-only pilot program run by OpenAI. Villocido, despite his efforts, wasn’t included.

According to Villocido and other small developers who spoke with WIRED, OpenAI’s GPT Store has been a mixed bag. These developers say that OpenAI’s analytics tools are lacking and that they have no real sense of how their GPTs are performing. OpenAI has said that GPT creators outside of the US, like Villocido, are not eligible for revenue-sharing.

Those who are able to make money from their GPTs usually devise workarounds, like placing affiliate links or advertising within their GPTs. Other small developers have used the success of their GPTs to market themselves while raising outside funding. The AI-powered scientific research app Consensus, which runs a popular GPT, raised millions in venture capital funding in August.