OpenAI is rolling out plugins in ChatGPT so it can study their “real-world use, impact, and safety and alignment challenges,” the company announced in a Thursday post. 

In effect, the plug-ins provide access to the internet and outside data sources.

“Users have been asking for plugins since we launched ChatGPT (and many developers are experimenting with similar ideas) because they unlock a vast range of possible use cases,” OpenAI writes. 

The initial plug-ins were created by Expedia, FiscalNote, Instacart, KAYAK, Klarna, Milo, OpenTable, Shopify, Slack, Speak, Wolfram, and Zapier. 

In addition, OpenAI is itself hosting two plug-ins: a web browser and code interpreter. 

The company seeks to “build a community shaping the future of the human–AI interaction paradigm,” it says. 

The OpenAI site provides a button for joining the ChatGPT plug-in waitlist. The company was to begin extending plug-in alpha access to users and developers on its waitlist on Thursday.  

“Plugin developers who have been invited off our waitlist can use our documentation to build a plugin for ChatGPT, which then lists the enabled plugins in the prompt shown to the language model as well as documentation to instruct the model how to use each,” Open AI states. 

The plug-ins will provide access to the internet and outside data sources. Initial plug-ins were created by Expedia, Instacart, Shopify, Slack, and several other companies. In addition, OpenAI will host two plug-ins: a web browser and a code interpreter.