ChatGPT’s parent company eyes home services

OpenAI, the parent company of wildly popular ChatGPT, on Thursday rolled out a feature that can hire HVAC contractors through Thumbtack on consumers’ behalf. 

Why it matters: The move highlights AI’s growing impact on every industry, including home services.

What’s happening: Called ‘Operator’ and built into ChatGPT Pro, the tool can “complete tasks” for consumers like ordering groceries and hiring contractors. 

• The company has struck early partnerships for the feature, with Thumbtack being the sole home services partner. 
• Consumers can ‘select’ Thumbtack and ask ChatGPT Pro to find, message, and book service calls with contractors registered on its site.
• Watch a video 

Of note: Operator can also be used to find contractors outside of Thumbtack, an OpenAI spokesperson told Homepros. 

• If consumers elect not to specify Thumbtack, it’ll search the open web to find contractors on typical search engines like Google and complete the same task.

The big picture: OpenAI aims to leverage ChatGPT’s traction — 300 million weekly users, as of December 2024 — to better connect consumers with local businesses, serving as a supplemental lead channel.  

Yes, but: The company has a long way to go before making a dent in Google’s dominance. 

• ChatGPT sees over three billion visits a month, according to analytics site Similarweb, while Google sees over 80 billion.

What’s next: Operator is in “early research preview,” meaning it’s buggy, and hasn’t been rolled out to ChatGPT’s free users. 

• OpenAI didn’t respond to a request for comment about plans for additional home services partnerships.