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'The world seems to be ready': An interview with OpenAI head of product Thibault Sottiaux
TechCrunch talks agents, UX, and reporting to Greg Brockman with OpenAI's head of product.
TL;DR
- OpenAI is extending its AI agent technology, previously for developers (Codex), to a wider audience with ChatGPT Work.
- The goal is to make AI accessible and delightful for everyday white-collar workers, available on mobile and web.
- ChatGPT is positioned as a product offering incredible value for its $20/month Plus plan subscription.
- OpenAI sees its role as guiding the public adoption of AI, moving from a niche technical tool to a broadly usable technology.
- The company emphasizes building capable models and finding simple, natural ways for users to interact with them.
- ChatGPT Voice is highlighted as a natural conversational interface that adapts to humans.
- OpenAI views product development as a process of discovery, learning from model capabilities and user feedback to build better products.
- Future models like GPT 5.6 focus on complex professional tasks such as document processing, report generation, and research.
- OpenAI is committed to reducing the cost of AI, evidenced by significant price cuts on models like Luna.
- Safety and alignment are major investment areas for OpenAI, with a focus on rigorous safety protocols and honest benchmarking.