Artificial intelligence models are becoming platforms, attracting an ecosystem of applications, connectors, marketplaces, and payment systems that could eventually influence ecommerce.

ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and similar services started primarily as chatbots, or more specifically, as interfaces for interacting with large language models. Now, these same models are becoming platforms through which outside companies can provide software, data, and services.

This shift resembles the rise of earlier technology platforms.

A useful product attracts users.

Those users attract developers and businesses.

Eventually, infrastructure emerges to connect the participants, govern access, move money, and perhaps take a cut of the activity.

Anthropic offered a recent example in September 2026 when it launched Claude Marketplace , giving customers access to more than 2,000 plugins and connectors, along with agents, software, and service providers.

The Claude Marketplace is an early and visible example of the…