OpenAI is set to launch a beta test for a new feature, allowing business customers to integrate ChatGPT with apps like Slack and Google Drive.

According to a document obtained by TechCrunch, OpenAI plans to introduce ChatGPT Connectors, a feature that will enable ChatGPT Team subscribers to link their workspace Google Drive and Slack accounts to ChatGPT. This integration will allow the chatbot to provide answers informed by files, presentations, spreadsheets, and conversations across these accounts.

In the future, OpenAI aims to expand ChatGPT Connectors to support additional platforms, including Microsoft SharePoint and Box, as stated in the document.

The document highlights that this integration will enable employees to leverage internal information in a manner similar to how they utilize world knowledge via web search, stating: “This will allow employees using ChatGPT to easily make use of internal information similar to how they can use world knowledge via web search.”

ChatGPT Connectors represents OpenAI’s latest effort to make ChatGPT an essential tool for businesses. Although some companies have expressed concerns about allowing ChatGPT to access sensitive business information, others have embraced the technology.

The introduction of ChatGPT Connectors may convince hesitant company executives to reconsider their stance and pose a significant challenge to AI-powered enterprise search platforms like Glean.

The beta test for ChatGPT Connectors, available to select ChatGPT Team users, is powered by a custom version of OpenAI’s GPT-4o model. This model can refine its responses based on a company’s internal knowledge, according to the document. All users within a participating ChatGPT Team workspace will have access to the model via OpenAI’s ChatGPT apps.

The custom GPT-4o model can search and “read” internal information relevant to a query. To create a search index, OpenAI syncs an encrypted copy of company files and conversations on its servers, as per the document.

As noted in the document, additional related information that the model did not directly utilize can be accessed by clicking on the “sources” button at the bottom of each response. The model will also directly respond with a list of relevant results when appropriate.

To alleviate concerns about data privacy, the document emphasizes that Slack and Google Drive permissions are “fully respected” and “kept continuously up to date.” For example, ChatGPT Connector syncs Slack private channel memberships and Drive file permissions, as well as directory information.

According to the OpenAI document, employees will not be able to discover content via ChatGPT that they cannot access in Google Drive or Slack. Admins will have the ability to choose which Slack channels and Google Drive files are synced. However, employees may receive “substantially different” responses to the same ChatGPT prompts, as mentioned in the document.

There are technical limitations to what ChatGPT Connector can access.

The document notes that images in Google Drive files, such as Google Docs, Google Slides, PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and plain text, are not supported. ChatGPT Connector can only “read” data in Sheets and Excel workbooks, but not analyze it. Additionally, ChatGPT Connector cannot retrieve Slack DMs or group messages and will ignore messages from Slack bots.

To participate in the ChatGPT Connector beta, companies are required to provide OpenAI with 100 documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and/or Slack channel conversations. The company stated in the document that it will not directly train on this information but may use it “as input to synthetic data generation” for potential use in training.

The document explicitly states: “No data synced from Google Drive or Slack will be used for training.”

OpenAI did not respond to multiple requests for comment.