OpenAI DevDay 2024 Highlights

Summary

OpenAI DevDay 2024 in San Francisco introduced major platform enhancements, including new developer tools and APIs.
Key announcements included the ChatGPT Apps SDK (preview), Agent Kit for building and deploying agents, significant upgrades to Codeex (now GPT-5 powered), and the API launch of GPT-5 Pro and Sora 2.
Live demos illustrated rapid app and agent creation, as well as new capabilities for code generation, automation, and creative content development.
The event emphasized accelerating the developer experience and empowering creators with advanced AI tools.

Available now – Developers: Begin testing the Apps SDK in preview; provide feedback to OpenAI.
Available now – Developers: Start building and deploying agents with Agent Kit; explore the visual builder and security guardrails.
Available now – Developers: Integrate and test GPT-5 Pro and Sora 2 via OpenAI API for advanced text, code, and video applications.
Available now – Teams/Enterprise: Adopt the new Codeex features, including Slack integration, SDK, and enterprise admin tools.
Collect feedback on the new developer guidelines and monetization options for apps SDK (Owner: OpenAI PM team).
Explore partnership/direct application for app directory inclusion and featured placement (Owner: App Developers).

Apps SDK is now available in preview, enabling the development of interactive, personalized apps directly inside ChatGPT.
SDK supports connecting data, triggering actions, and rendering full UIs; built on the open MCP standard.
Apps can be invoked by name in ChatGPT and are also discoverable via in-chat recommendations.
Initial launch partners include Coursera, Canva, and Zillow, with more apps rolling out in coming weeks.
User authentication and future monetization options (e.g., Agentic commerce protocol) will be supported.
App review process and a public directory will launch later this year; design/functionality standards determine app prominence.

Agent Kit is launched as a comprehensive toolkit for building, deploying, and optimizing AI-powered agents.
Includes Agent Builder (visual workflow designer), ChatKit (embeddable chat widget), and agent evaluation tools (trace grading, dataset testing, prompt optimization).
Connector Registry allows secure connection of agents to internal and third-party systems.
Live demo showed rapid creation/deployment of a website assistant agent with workflow logic, security guardrails, custom widgets, and instant deployment.
Guardrails feature protects against hallucinations, PII leaks, and supports safe, trustworthy agent operation.
Agent Kit is available to all developers now, with workflow export and live iteration supported.

Codeex, OpenAI's AI software engineering tool, is now powered by the GPT-5 Codeex model and out of research preview.
Codeex works across IDEs, the terminal, GitHub, Slack, and in the cloud, enabling seamless work transitions.
New features: Slack integration, Codeex SDK for workflow automation, and enterprise-grade admin tools and reporting.
Codeex usage has soared, with 10x growth in daily messages, and now handles significant portions of OpenAI’s own codebase.
Live demo showcased real-time, agent-driven software creation: camera and lighting control, Xbox controller input, and dynamic UI overlays—all automated by Codeex without manual coding.
Codeex demonstrates deep contextual understanding and agentic behavior on complex, multi-step coding tasks.

GPT-5 Pro is now available in the API; optimized for complex, high-accuracy domains like finance, legal, and healthcare.
Sora 2 API preview released, enabling generation of cinematic, controllable videos with synchronized and realistic audio.
Sora 2 features extensive control (length, aspect, remix), creative flexibility, and is already widely adopted by developers/designers.
Real-time Mini voice model brings advanced voice interaction to AI apps, supporting expressive, high-quality voice AI experiences.

New guidelines and directory system for ChatGPT apps announced; quality standards will drive app visibility.
OpenAI encourages feedback on monetization pathways for both apps and agent experiences.
Emphasis on lowering barriers to creation—AI now enables building complex apps/software in minutes, not months.

Apps SDK available in preview — To accelerate developer adoption and gather feedback before wider release.
Agent Kit released to all developers — To promote rapid agent prototyping and production use with robust security/guardrails.
Codeex out of preview with Slack/SDK/admin features — To drive enterprise and team adoption, streamline software engineering tasks.
GPT-5 Pro and Sora 2 launched in API — To broaden access to OpenAI’s most advanced language and video models.

Timeline for opening app submissions for review and publication beyond the current preview phase.
Further details and rollout schedule for in-app monetization features (e.g., Agentic commerce protocol).
Clarification on the process/timeline for getting apps featured in the new directory.
Additional information on enterprise deployment, controls, and support for both Agent Kit and Codeex SDK.