OpenAI's new 'sites' feature lets users build disposable AI tools

Oct 5, 2026 · Lenny's Podcast
🎧 PodShort 35 min squeezed to 2 AI SprinklerAS AI / ML
Episode artwork
Sam
Design Engineer at OpenAI
Lenny's Podcast
35 min squeezed to 2
Full episode from Lenny's Podcast
Quotable Moments

We just launched something today which is plugins and insights. It will allow anyone to come to your site and use their connected plugins and so you see only your data on that site.

SamDesign Engineer at OpenAI
00:01

Merge is the infrastructure layer for product AI. It connects to thousands of tools, gives agents secure ways to act inside them, and optimizes model routing and spend. Without you building or owning any of it.

MergeUnknown
05:29

I might just want like a different view of Google Calendar for the day, or for the week. I might be going on a business trip and I just want like things organized differently. And so I'll build a site for that week and then I'll throw it away at the end of the week.

SamDesign Engineer at OpenAI
00:41
Key Insights
  • OpenAI has launched a new feature allowing users to create and share custom sites with integrated plugins, enabling personalized user experiences while keeping data private to the user.
  • The new 'sites' feature allows users to build with plugins, meaning users can come to your site and use their connected plugins, and you only see your data on that site.
  • When sharing a site across a team, each member sees content based on their team's context, not a shared monolithic view of data.
  • Sites eliminates the need for API keys and other complex integrations, offering a 'magically connected' experience.
  • Building user-facing AI products is challenging, but the real difficulty lies in managing everything around it, including integrations, agent actions, permissions, and cost-efficiency.
  • Merge is an infrastructure layer for AI products, connecting to thousands of tools, enabling agents to act securely, and optimizing model routing and spend.
  • The concept of 'sites' allows for building individual dashboards or tools tailored to specific needs, like a different view of Google Calendar for a business trip, which can then be discarded.
  • AI models can be prompted to build specific types of sites, such as websites that integrate with Notion and calendar data, and these can be designed to be short-lived and specific to a task.

RevBots.ai View:

  • AI Sprinkler teams will bolt this onto existing workflows as a novelty feature.
  • ARM-stage orgs would integrate this into broader AI orchestration workflows.
  • Temporary tool creation aligns with ARM's composable GTM philosophy.
  • Plugin ecosystem reduces SaaS Hoarder tool sprawl for basic functions.
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