London recap: Building custom AI apps with OpenAI and Retool

At a recent event in London, hosted by Retool and OpenAI, members of the European tech community gathered to discuss the development and implementation of custom AI-powered applications. The event highlighted the increasing interest from developers and businesses in using AI to enhance operations, with many companies beginning with automation through chatbots and AI-powered internal tools. Dom Grillo from OpenAI noted that while the potential of AI is widely recognized, concrete strategies are often lacking, leading companies to develop custom solutions on top of the OpenAI API. Dobo Radichov from Holland and Barrett showcased an application that uses large language models (LLMs) to efficiently route users to data-driven answers. Retool demonstrated AI applications that improve customer support by using AI to manage simple queries and translate natural language questions into SQL queries for complex data warehouse navigation. The consensus was that custom AI applications offer more flexibility and relevance to specific business needs compared to off-the-shelf solutions, emphasizing the importance of adaptability in the rapidly evolving tech landscape.