OpenAI Sunsets Custom GPT Creation, Google Transitions Gems, as Action-Oriented AI Agents Rise
The AI skills market is shifting from conversational tools to autonomous agents capable of taking direct action within workflows, signaling a move towards platform standardization.
New here? The 60-second primer
Skills are packaged expertise you install into an AI assistant: Claude Code has skills and plugins (from Anthropic's directory and open git marketplaces), ChatGPT has custom GPTs (the GPT Store), and Google's Gemini has Gems (shareable custom experts). Every rank below comes from captured data — official install counts, GitHub star growth, and the GPT Store's own trending list — not from opinion.
The week
This week saw significant platform shifts across the AI skills ecosystem. OpenAI announced it will end new custom GPT creation in affected Enterprise workspaces today, October 26, 2026, with standard GPT retirement scheduled for December 11.
Google is also reportedly transitioning Gemini Gems to a new "Skills" format, with personal accounts expected to move in November 2026. Meanwhile, Anthropic is rolling out a new beta version of Claude Projects, starting with Claude Code, enabling the model to split tasks into parallel threads that run in the cloud.
New AI agent tools launched this week include TwelveLabs Jockey, which can edit video directly inside ChatGPT, and Profound Agents, designed for marketing tasks with the ability to act before explicit human approval. Claude Code also gained new connectors for Google Sheets, Docs, and Slides, and introduced a Claude Science desktop application for research and analysis.
Pattern watch
A clear structural pattern emerging this week is the shift from AI tools requiring constant human oversight to agents designed for autonomous action. Companies like Profound are launching agents that can act first and report later, moving beyond the traditional human-in-the-loop approval at every step.
This trend is complemented by platform shifts, such as OpenAI's custom GPT sunset and Google's reported Gems transition to "Skills," indicating a move towards more standardized, integrated, and actionable agent capabilities. GitHub trends also highlight the growing emphasis on specialized domain expertise and multi-agent orchestration frameworks, reflecting a demand for agents that function as collaborators rather than simple assistants.
Try this week
To explore the latest in agent capabilities, consider installing Claude Code. Anthropic recommends the native installer for auto-updates. On macOS, Linux, or WSL, run `curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash` in your terminal.
Reporting + analyst voices: grounded via Google Search at publish time.