Traditionally, customer discovery is a top-of-funnel, hard-to-measure activity. However, as consumers use conversational AI to find products and solutions, these interactions will become the next major performance marketing channel with clear metrics for driving outcomes.

A single, context-aware AI assistant with access to various APIs will replace dozens of specialized apps for tasks like fitness tracking, to-do lists, or flight check-ins. Users will interact conversationally with their assistant, rendering most single-purpose apps redundant.

Instead of trying to be a closed ecosystem, the most valuable AI assistants will build trust by intelligently referring users to the best external app or service for a specific task. This creates a new distribution layer and makes the assistant stronger, not weaker.

Unlike the failed GPT Store which required users to actively search for apps, the new model contextually surfaces relevant apps based on user prompts. This passive discovery mechanism is a massive opportunity for developers, as users don't need to leave their natural workflow to find and use new tools.

The primary barrier for useful AI agents is not the underlying model but the complex task of 'data wiring'—connecting to a user's real-world context like emails, local files, and support tickets. Products that solve this difficult integration challenge, where most agents currently fail, will gain a significant competitive advantage.

The next major leap for AI is its ability to connect disparate apps and data sources (email, calendar, location) to take autonomous actions. This will move AI from a Q&A tool to a proactive agent that seamlessly manages complex workflows.

A key distribution advantage of ChatGPT Apps is implicit discovery. The model can automatically surface your app in a conversation if it deems it relevant to a user's request, even if the user has never installed or heard of it. This creates a powerful, intent-driven channel for organic user acquisition.

For any product involving ongoing user interaction (support, sales), the key differentiator is not raw model capability but a persistent knowledge base. This allows the AI to remember a user's history across sessions, transforming it from a simple question-answer tool into a stateful, effective partner that understands context.

Similar to how mobile gave rise to the App Store, AI platforms like OpenAI and Perplexity will create their own ecosystems for discovering and using services. The next wave of winning startups will be those built to distribute through these new agent-based channels, while incumbents may be slow to adapt.