OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has made its third publicly known acquisition, this time of Multi, a startup focused on screenshare and collaboration technologies for workers using Mac computers. The terms of the deal remain undisclosed. Multi’s co-founder and CEO Alexander Embiricos has joined OpenAI’s ChatGPT desktop team, which is responsible for building the ChatGPT for Mac desktop app. The acquisition has sparked speculation that OpenAI will use Multi to enable its AI models to “take over” a user’s computer and perform actions on their behalf based on text or voice prompts. However, it is also possible that OpenAI will use the acquisition to enhance its ChatGPT Team and Enterprise subscription plans.
The current Multi app will be sunsetted in a month, and all user data will be deleted. Users are advised to export their data before the deadline. The acquisition marks an interesting turn for Multi, which had previously stated that “chatbots are not the future” but is now joining the company most associated with a chatbot interface.
