ChatGPT alone cannot directly rename files. As a conversational AI, it interacts through text but lacks direct access to your computer's file system for security reasons. API integration changes this by allowing developers to connect the capabilities of large language models like those powering ChatGPT (e.g., the OpenAI API) with external applications. This integration enables software applications to leverage AI for tasks like file renaming, combining the model's pattern recognition and text generation abilities with a program's access to directories and files.

Practical applications involve using the API within custom scripts or automation platforms. For instance, an IT department could build an Azure Logic App using the OpenAI API to automatically review uploaded files, summarize content via AI, and rename them consistently based on the summary before storing them in SharePoint or OneDrive. Developers might write a Python script combining the OpenAI API with Python's os module to let an AI suggest and implement new filenames for batches of images based on their content analysis.

This approach offers significant automation benefits, such as consistency and time savings. However, the primary limitation is complexity: it requires programming expertise and careful handling of file system permissions and API keys. Crucially, security is paramount; the integrated application must be designed to access only specific, intended folders to prevent unauthorized file manipulation. Future AI file management systems might offer simpler user interfaces for such tasks.