This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
Firstly, what have the past six months—since the launch of ChatGPT—been like as head of sales at OpenAI?
It’s been exhilarating. I think just taking ChatGPT from this small, in-house project to something that has access to the entire world means that we get to experience the creativity and innovation of millions of users. Being able to sit on the front lines and work with our customers every day to bring these creative ideas to life has been really exciting.
How would you explain OpenAI’s approach to working with brands?
Basically, there are two main ways to work with us. There’s our API platform, which lets brands integrate AI directly into their own digital experiences, whether that’s web or mobile. For example, Shopify is using our models to create product descriptions automatically. Spotify is using our models to build an AI DJ so their users can find songs and podcasts that they like. Brands can also offer recommendation engines or shopping assistants or conversational experiences.
The other way is through our recently launched plugins for ChatGPT. Plugins are more top-of-funnel, so they can be used to capture users off-platform when they’re, say, looking for a product or just chatting with ChatGPT without knowing exactly what they’re looking for. Instacart, for example, built a plugin that allows users to ask ChatGPT, “Hey, what’s something healthy I should have for dinner?” or “I’m trying to meal-plan for the week—what recipes do you suggest?” And if you’re interested in adding those suggestions to your cart, the plugin takes you into Instacart and automatically fills your basket for you.
