OpenAI (OPAI.PVT) on Thursday its unveiled its new Frontier platform for enterprise customers, the latest in a series of AI moves that have shaken the broader software industry in recent days.
Frontier is designed to allow customers to build and deploy AI agents that can work with a company’s existing software rather than forcing them to abandon the technology they already use.
According to OpenAI, Frontier connects disparate data sources across various enterprise applications that businesses use, then allows them to take actions on the information including working with files, using different tools, or running code.
OpenAI says HP (HPQ), Intuit (INTU), Oracle (ORCL), State Farm, Thermo Fisher (TMO), and Uber (UBER) are the first companies to adopt Frontier, while BBVA (BBVA), Cisco (CSCO), and T-Mobile (TMUS) have piloted the platform.
The move is part of OpenAI’s effort to expand its enterprise presence, giving it additional revenue streams to help finance its growth. The company says more than 1 million businesses are already using its broader suite of software offerings.
OpenAI’s news comes amid a broad rout in software stocks that has sent valuations plummeting on fears that the new crop of AI-powered systems will supplant traditional players in the space.
It also cut short a brief reprieve for some of the most impacted software stocks, which took another nosedive after OpenAI’s announcement hit the wires.
Salesforce (CRM) stock fell more than 3%, while Thomson Reuters (TRI) was off 4.6%. Intuit (INTU) and SAP (SAP) stock dropped back near the flat line after starting the trading day in the positive.
The software sell-off began after OpenAI rival Anthropic (ANTH.PVT) introduced a series of plugins for its new Cowork platform that allow AI agents to perform tasks across a number of fields, including marketing, legal, productivity, and sales.
The fear among investors is that AI agents are evolving so fast that they’ll soon allow companies to build their own unique AI agents that can perform the work of standard software tools.
Nvidia (NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang, however, dismissed the idea that software companies are at risk, saying during an artificial intelligence conference hosted by Cisco that businesses don’t want to completely reinvent the tools they use.
Email Daniel Howley at dhowley@yahoofinance.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.
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