OpenAI used its DevDay conference on 29 September 2026 to open ChatGPT, and its 1.2 billion weekly users, to plugins that brands can build as native features, and to launch dots, always-on agents that work in the background. Marketing teams now have a new place to be found and a new kind of colleague to govern.

Two launches out of twenty

OpenAI’s DevDay recap lists more than 20 announcements, most aimed at developers. Two of them change marketing work.

The first is plugin extensions. Plugins could already answer inside a ChatGPT conversation, and now a plugin can also sit in the sidebar, open an interactive panel next to the chat and act as the viewer for its own file types. OpenAI’s developer documentation shows Canva running as a sidebar tab, Figma files appearing when a user mentions them in the desktop composer, and Adobe opening files in Acrobat and Photoshop inside ChatGPT. OpenAI also says improved ranking and recommendations now help people find plugins in the directory and in conversations. Users still choose which plugins to install and approve the access each one gets.

The second is dots. OpenAI’s dots announcement describes an agent powered by GPT-6 Astra, with its own cloud computer and browser, that connects to more than 4,000 apps and can be messaged in ChatGPT, Slack or Teams. Two of OpenAI’s own examples are marketing jobs, a dot that revises launch materials when a product’s scope changes and one that turns an interview transcript into clips, show notes and social drafts for approval. Dots are rolling out to Pro and Business Premium plans in eligible markets, the first dot comes at no extra cost on those plans, and Enterprise admins can switch on a beta that is off by default.

Plugins become a bigger brand surface

A brand could already appear in ChatGPT as a source the model cited, as an ad or as a plugin that answered in the chat. At DevDay OpenAI gave plugins a sidebar home, panels and file viewers, plus ranking that puts them in front of people mid-conversation. When someone asks ChatGPT to plan a training block, compare insurance quotes or draft a floor plan, the plugin that ChatGPT recommends gets to do the work, and the brand behind it stays in the thread.

OpenAI’s guide to optimising plugin metadata says ChatGPT decides when to call a plugin’s tools from the names, descriptions and parameter notes the developer writes, and tells teams to treat that metadata like product copy. It asks developers to test against three sets of prompts, ones that name the product, ones that describe the outcome without naming it, and ones where another tool should answer. That is keyword research with a new name, and the marketing team should own it alongside engineering.

Our view at Manual Focus is that any brand whose product can do a job in a conversation, such as a booking, a quote, a configurator or a design tool, should scope a ChatGPT plugin this quarter and assign its metadata to the same people who write product pages and paid search copy. Brands that sell through a catalogue rather than a tool will get more from product feeds and ChatGPT Ads on Shopify.

The CMO has a separate decision to make about dots. An agent that drafts social posts overnight and revises launch copy on its own can save hours, and it can also publish off-brand work at the same speed. OpenAI gives each dot Custom Rules that allow an action, require approval or block it, and the brand team should write those rules before anyone switches a dot on. Our brand guardrails as code playbook sets out how to turn a brand book into rules an agent can check against.

Where to start before the end of October

  1. List the jobs your product does. Write down five tasks a customer could finish with your product inside a conversation. If none come to mind, a plugin isn’t for you yet.
  2. Write a golden prompt set. For each job, collect ten prompts that name you, ten that describe the outcome without your name and ten that should go elsewhere. It doubles as research on how customers phrase the need.
  3. Search the directory for rivals. Open the ChatGPT plugin directory, search your category and note who is already there and how they describe themselves.
  4. Draft agent rules before the pilot. Decide which actions a dot may take alone, which need sign-off and which are off limits, starting with anything that publishes, sends email or spends money.
  5. Check your plan and market. Dots need Pro or Business Premium in an eligible market, so confirm both against OpenAI’s help centre before you promise a pilot.

Open questions OpenAI left unanswered

OpenAI hasn’t published how it ranks or recommends plugins, whether paid placement will ever sit next to them, or how often a plugin surfaces without the user asking for it. The dots announcement doesn’t name the eligible markets, so UK availability needs checking, and OpenAI says teams will later be able to add more dots and scale their output without saying what that will cost. Specialist dots, which OpenAI says it has tested internally on email marketing and customer support, are limited to enterprise pilots for now.

If you want help deciding whether a plugin belongs in next year’s plan, talk to us.

Frequently asked questions

What are OpenAI dots?

Dots are always-on agents OpenAI launched at DevDay on 29 September 2026. Each dot runs on GPT-6 Astra with its own cloud computer and browser, connects to more than 4,000 apps through plugins, and can be messaged in ChatGPT, Slack or Teams. They are rolling out to Pro and Business Premium plans in eligible markets, with an admin-enabled beta for Enterprise.

Can a brand build its own plugin inside ChatGPT?

Yes. OpenAI's plugin extensions, announced on 29 September 2026, let developers put a plugin in the ChatGPT sidebar, open interactive panels beside a conversation and handle their own file types. Canva, Figma and Adobe already use them. A brand submits its plugin for review under a verified developer identity and a verified domain before it is published to the directory.

How does ChatGPT decide which plugin to recommend?

OpenAI says improved ranking and recommendations now surface relevant plugins in the directory and inside conversations, but it has not published the ranking signals. Its developer guide says ChatGPT decides when to call a plugin's tools from the names, descriptions and parameter notes the developer writes, and tells developers to test that metadata against direct, indirect and negative prompts.

Are OpenAI dots available in the UK?

OpenAI says dots are rolling out to Pro and Business Premium users in eligible markets and links to a list of those markets on its help centre. The announcement itself does not name the UK. A UK marketing team should check the help centre list, and its own plan type, before budgeting time or money for a dot pilot.

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