OpenAI adds Plaid bank linking

OpenAI on May 15 began previewing a personal-finance feature in ChatGPT for Pro users in the United States, adding bank and investment account linking through Plaid. The company said users can connect accounts, view a dashboard of spending and portfolio activity, and ask questions based on their financial data. The launch is available on the web and iOS, according to OpenAI’s product post and help documentation. OpenAI said the rollout is gradual, so some eligible users may not see it immediately. The new feature arrives one month after OpenAI acquired Hiro Finance, a startup founded by former Digit chief executive Ethan Bloch. TechCrunch reported on April 13 that OpenAI confirmed the deal and that Hiro would shut down its product and delete user data from its servers on May 13. OpenAI has not disclosed deal terms. ### What exactly can ChatGPT do once an account is linked? (openai.com) OpenAI said connected users can ask ChatGPT about spending, bills, subscriptions, net worth, investments, savings goals and debt payoff. The company’s help page says the tool can compare spending across periods, review portfolio allocation and explain tradeoffs tied to financial decisions. OpenAI also said the feature is meant for “informational and planning purposes only.” Its help page says ChatGPT is not a fiduciary, registered investment adviser, broker-dealer, tax preparer or law firm. (techcrunch.com) The same page says the system cannot move money, pay bills, make trades, change retirement contributions, open or close accounts, or file taxes. (openai.com) ### How does the Plaid connection work inside ChatGPT? Plaid said its service lets consumers connect accounts from more than 12,000 financial institutions to apps and services. OpenAI said ChatGPT guides users through linking accounts via Plaid, then syncs and categorizes the data so the assistant can answer questions using the user’s financial context. Plaid said consumers can use Plaid Portal to manage connections, disconnect apps and request deletion of data from Plaid’s systems. (help.openai.com) Plaid also said disconnecting an app stops future sharing, though the app may still retain data it already received. ### What does OpenAI say about privacy and training? OpenAI’s privacy policy says user content can include “data from connected services,” depending on the features used. (openai.com) A separate OpenAI help page says ChatGPT users can turn off “Improve the model for everyone,” which prevents conversations from being used to train models while keeping them in chat history. TechCrunch reported that users can remove connected services from the Finances settings page and that synced data is removed from ChatGPT within 30 days after disconnection. (plaid.com) OpenAI’s help page also says connected account data syncs automatically after authentication, though in some cases syncing can take hours. (openai.com) ### Why does Hiro matter to this launch? TechCrunch reported on May 15 that OpenAI said Hiro’s finance expertise helped with the new product, though the company did not say whether Hiro built the entire feature. Hiro had offered AI-based financial planning tools that modeled scenarios using user financial information. (techcrunch.com) Bloomberg reported in 2025 that Bloch launched Hiro after previously building Digit, the savings startup sold to Oportun. That background gave OpenAI a team with consumer-finance product experience as it expanded ChatGPT into budgeting and planning tools. ### What comes next in the rollout? OpenAI said the preview is starting with a smaller group of U.S. (techcrunch.com) Pro users so it can learn from early use before expanding. The company said it plans to roll the feature out to Plus users later and eventually make it more broadly available. OpenAI also said Intuit support is coming soon, which would add another route for connecting financial data. (openai.com) (bloomberg.com)