OpenAI launching AI app store

Today we are looking at OpenAI quietly launched an “app store” for ChatGPT this week. Developers can now build apps inside the chat interface, turning ChatGPT into more than a tool, it’s a new kind of operating system, built around conversation. Also, a new wave of studies suggests AI may be harming our cognitive skills. MIT found students using ChatGPT had lower brain activity and struggled to recall their own writing. Experts warn: better outputs might mean worse learning.

In today’s post:

• ChatGPT just opened its own app store

• New standard for AI transparencies

• Is AI making us smarter or just better at faking it?

What’s Trending Today

Partnership with AirCampus

Master Vibe Coding: Learn to Create Apps,website and products in 3 Hours Masterclass

Imagine building websites, Apps, browser extensions, mobile apps, plugins, and micro-SaaS — all without writing a single line of traditional code.
A completely new way of building with AI: Vibe Coding.

📅 Masterclass on 23rd December — 9:00 AM EST

In this 3-hour Masterclass, you’ll learn how to turn your ideas into real, working apps using hand-picked AI tools like Lovable, Bolt, Cursor, Replit, Claude, Supabase, and more.

What You’ll Experience

• Convert raw ideas into real apps (live demo)

• Learn to Build using beginner-friendly, free AI platforms

• Learn to Create your first AI-built app during the session

• Understand how Vibe Coding lets you build 10x faster

All these with No coding or technical experience needed

Join the LIVE Masterclass and learn to  build real AI products in just 3 hours.

LAUNCH

OpenAI wants ChatGPT to be your new operating system

This week, OpenAI quietly launched a major update: developers can now submit apps directly into ChatGPT. It’s not just a chatbot anymore, it’s becoming a platform.

Here’s everything you need to know:

• ChatGPT now features an app directory, nicknamed its “app store,” inside the Chat tools menu.

• Developers can build and submit apps using OpenAI’s new (beta) Apps SDK.

• Approved apps will be integrated directly into ChatGPT, letting users take real-world actions.

• Early integrations already include major names like Spotify, Canva, and Zillow.

• Users could soon do everything from ordering groceries to making slide deck without leaving ChatGPT.

• This signals a shift from conversation tool to all-purpose digital assistant.

• OpenAI is positioning itself to compete not just with search engines but with app ecosystems like iOS and Android.

The move is bold but inevitable. OpenAI is betting that the future of apps isn’t in opening tabs, it’s in talking to one interface that does it all for you. But that raises questions too: who controls access, monetization, and user trust in a world where apps don’t look like apps anymore?

LAW

California’s new AI law forces labs to get real about catastrophic risks

Starting January 1, California’s “Transparency in Frontier AI Act” becomes law and Anthropic is the first major lab to show how it plans to comply.

Here’s everything you need to know:

• The law requires developers of advanced AI to publicly share how they assess and mitigate catastrophic risks.

• Anthropic published its Frontier Compliance Framework (FCF) covering cyber, chemical, biological, nuclear, and sabotage threats.

• The FCF outlines a tiered system for evaluating model risks, incident response plans, and protections for AI model weights.

• These steps build on Anthropic’s longstanding Responsible Scaling Policy, now supplemented by legal compliance.

• The law also enforces transparency practices already followed by many top labs turning voluntary best practices into mandatory standards.

• Anthropic supports a national version of this law and has proposed a flexible federal framework focused on risk, not rigid technical rules.

• Crucially, these regulations would only apply to developers of the most powerful AI systems avoiding unnecessary burdens on startups.

This moment matters. Transparency isn’t just a regulatory checkbox, it’s about building public trust as AI power scales. If AI labs want to shape the future, they’ll need to be equally serious about showing how they’re managing its risks. California made the first move. The real test will be whether Washington follows.

RESEARCH

AI tools may be boosting our output at a cost

MIT, Microsoft, and Oxford researchers are raising a tough question: what if using AI to think is actually making us worse at it?

Here’s everything you need to know:

• An MIT study found students using ChatGPT to write essays had lower brain activity in key cognitive areas.

• These students also struggled to recall or explain their own work compared to non-AI users.

• Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon found that white-collar workers using AI showed less critical thinking, especially when they trusted the tool too much.

• 60% of UK students said AI hurt their schoolwork skills though most also said it helped in some way.

• Researchers worry AI is making answers too easy to find, weakening long-term problem-solving ability.

• Some experts, like UCL’s Prof Wayne Holmes, say better results might be hiding worse learning.

• OpenAI argues that ChatGPT is best used as a tutor, not a shortcut and that it can accelerate learning when used right.

There’s nothing wrong with using AI to help you think but there’s a problem when it starts thinking for you. If the goal is faster output, these tools are a win. But if we care about actual understanding, we’ll need more than clever prompts. We’ll need curiosity, struggle, and a willingness to wrestle with the hard parts. AI doesn’t replace thinking, it just makes it easier to avoid.

🚀 Founders & AI Builders, Listen up!

If you’ve built an AI tool, here’s an opportunity to gain serious visibility.

Nextool AI is a leading tools aggregator that offers:

• 500k+ page views and a rapidly growing audience.

• Exposure to developers, entrepreneurs, and tech enthusiasts actively searching for innovative tools.

• A spot in a curated list of cutting-edge AI tools, trusted by the community.

• Increased traffic, users, and brand recognition for your tool.

Take the next step to grow your tool’s reach and impact.

Reach 140,000+ READERS:

Expand your reach and boost your brand’s visibility!

Partner with Nextool AI to showcase your product or service to 140,000+ engaged subscribers, including entrepreneurs, tech enthusiasts, developers, and industry leaders.

Ready to make an impact? Visit our sponsorship website to explore sponsorship opportunities and learn more!