The End of Websites? How ChatGPT Apps are Changing the Internet

The End of Websites? How ChatGPT Apps Are Changing the Internet

Hey there — I’m (virtually) pulling up a chair, coffee in hand, to riff on a big wave that’s just started rolling through the AI / digital marketing world. As the founder of Autocraft Studios, I’ve ridden this wave before — from print to direct mail, from websites to apps — and I think we’re staring at what could be the next tectonic shift: embedding apps within ChatGPT itself, and a reimagined future of what “web presence” might mean.

🚀 What’s happening now: Apps inside ChatGPT

Just this week, OpenAI dropped a bombshell: a new Apps SDK that lets developers embed fully interactive apps inside ChatGPT conversations.

Here’s how it works: When a user types something like “Spotify, make a playlist” or “Zillow, show me houses in Austin,” ChatGPT can surface the relevant app (if connected) right in the chat, execute actions, and present interactive output (maps, image previews, booking options, etc.).

During the unveiling, early integrations included names you already know: Booking.com, Canva, Coursera, Expedia, Figma, Spotify, Zillow. And OpenAI plans to open submissions later this year, launch a directory, and provide monetization pathways for app creators.

Wired even frames it as OpenAI’s ambition to turn ChatGPT into a kind of “chat-driven operating system.” Infoworld describes it as a pivot toward ChatGPT becoming a true AI OS, hosting data-connected apps via the new SDK.

In short: you’ll no longer have to leave ChatGPT to do useful, non-chat things. The app comes to you in the conversation.

Why this matters (and why it may be more than just hype)

Let me pull back the lens for a moment.

1. Friction reduction & seamless user flow

Websites, apps, or browser-based tools force the user to jump context: open a new tab, navigate UI, click buttons. Embedded apps collapse that friction. You stay in the conversation, and the tool “just shows up” when needed. That’s powerful.

2. The new “front door” for brands

Today brands vie for attention via SEO, paid ads, social media, apps, etc. But in a world where users increasingly live in ChatGPT, your brand’s first encounter might happen via an embedded app — or via a suggestion from ChatGPT itself. The implication: your “digital real estate” shifts from domains and app stores to contexts and prompts.

3. Conversational UX becomes foundational

We used to say “mobile first.” Now we may say “chat first.” Interfaces that respond to natural language, adaptively show or hide UI, manage state across a conversation — that becomes your design paradigm. The lines between “app” and “chat” blur.

4. Consolidation & platform lock-in

If many of people’s daily digital tasks (booking, shopping, design, real estate, etc.) move inside ChatGPT, the chatbot becomes a hub. The more apps are built inside it, the harder it is for users to step out to alternative channels. For brands, being present in ChatGPT becomes a strategic imperative, but also a dependency risk (you’ll be bound by platform rules, policies, and possibly revenue sharing).

5. Implications for content & SEO

If users no longer “search the web” in the traditional sense as often — but instead just ask GPT “Where should I eat tonight in my part of town?” — then the role of websites as SEO content hubs may diminish (or at least evolve). Your content may need to be structured so that it can be accessed, summarized, or triggered inside GPT environments (via connectors, APIs, etc.).

Could this be the end of “traditional” websites?

Not so fast — I’m not ready to bury websites just yet. But I do think the role of a website is changing fast. Let me sketch three scenarios:

Scenario A: Websites remain, but in hybrid form

Your website still exists, but it becomes a conversational “backend” that powers GPT-based interfaces. Think of your site as an API + content service that ChatGPT (or a GPT agent) can query, transform, and present conversationally on behalf of your brand. The front door becomes the chat, but the website still stores the “truth” (product catalog, blog, media, etc.).

Scenario B: Websites retract to niche / flagship role

For many businesses, their public-facing web presence might shrink to “brand home / corporate identity / deep-dive content only.” Day-to-day interactions, transactions, support, or engagement happen through GPT-embedded experiences. The website becomes the “museum piece,” while the real work happens conversationally.

Scenario C: Websites fade (for certain verticals)

In some sectors (local services, e-commerce, simple utilities), websites might become optional. If a consumer can ask ChatGPT to “order lawn mowing for me this Saturday,” and it triggers a GPT-embedded app that makes the booking, they may never think to “visit the company’s site.” Over time, new customer acquisition may rely more on presence within GPT ecosystems than on web search.

Which scenario dominates? I suspect a mix — but the faster we hedge toward conversational-first design, the better positioned you’ll be.

What this means for marketers, brands & business owners (yes, you)

Here’s where I lean in from my Autocraft Studios seat (I’ve ridden the waves from print to web to mobile). Here are tactical shifts you should start thinking about:

• APIs & structured data become king — Your content, catalog, services need to be queryable, modular, and clean. GPT-embedded apps will need to pull from your backend.
  
  

• Conversational content design — Think less in pages, more in prompts, flows, clarifications, fallbacks. How do you script for ambiguity, follow-ups, and branching dialogue?
  
  

• Platform partnerships & presence — Consider building your own GPT app (or “skill”) so that your brand is a participant in that ecosystem. Get to know the rules, monetization, listing criteria, etc.
  
  

• Monitoring & analytics in chat environments — We’ll need new metrics. No longer pageviews, but prompt volume, engagement depth, agent handoffs, conversion inside chat sessions.
  
  

• Experiment & iterate — Don’t wait for the “perfect time.” Start embedding smaller GPT-powered experiences (e.g. chat widgets, micro-GPTs) now and test what works.
  
  

• Don’t abandon web entirely (yet) — For deeper content, SEO-driven discovery, and as a fallback — keep that stable, canonical home that you control.
  
  

I’m not saying websites die overnight. But I am saying that the center of gravity is shifting. If you lean too hard into the old model, you could find yourself reacting instead of leading.

So, there you have it — to me, this move to embed apps directly into GPTs isn’t just a feature update. It’s a signal: the future of digital interaction is going to feel more conversational, more seamless, more ambient.

We stay ahead of this, so you don’t fall behind.

Nathan Ooley

— [Founder, Autocraft Studios]