OpenAI's latest update to ChatGPT lets it read your files in Google Drive and Dropbox. Just like that, your cloud storage is now part of your prompt.
This isn’t a backend enterprise integration or a developer feature; it’s a direct connection between ChatGPT and the docs, sheets, and slides in your everyday clouds. Ask a question like, "What did we spend on Q1 media?" and ChatGPT will scan your spreadsheets, summarize the answer and cite the source.
Security? Access is limited by your existing permissions. If you can’t read a file, ChatGPT can’t either. Also, OpenAI says files accessed via Google Drive or Dropbox connectors aren’t used to train its models. That policy applies to ChatGPT Team, Enterprise, and Education accounts. (Free users and ChatGPT Plus subscribers should check the fine print.)
There’s also a new “memory” feature for Team accounts that lets ChatGPT record meetings, take notes, and offer action items. Think of it as a corporate version of Otter.ai, but built into ChatGPT desktop apps, not the web version. (I hope this doesn't mess with my beloved granola.ai too much. I'll let you know.)
Cloud connectors make ChatGPT far more useful for real work. OpenAI is positioning itself as the user interface for your data, which is the shortest path to enterprise lock-in. Microsoft’s Copilot, Google’s Gemini, and Anthropic's Claude have similar features, but now that OpenAI is offering one-click access to your files, the days of hunting through folders for a single number in a spreadsheet are officially over. Ask ChatGPT. It already knows.
As always your thoughts and comments are both welcome and encouraged. -s
P.S. Join me this afternoon at the AI Trailblazers Summit in NYC – I'll be keynoting and then joining Greg Kahn for a conversation. .
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named he covers tech and business for , is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular . He's a , and the creator of the popular, free online course, . Follow or visit .
