As personal AI assistants capture the public's attention, fueled by the viral rise of Meta Muse, OpenAI is pushing further into the space with a next-generation of AI agents, backed by more than 35 million weekly users across ChatGPT Work and Codex.
On Tuesday, at its OpenAI DevDay event, the company unveiled over 20 new announcements, led by its newest product, Dots, always-on agents with their own cloud computer that work across your apps such as Slack, Messages, and Teams, and taking action on your behalf once a goal is defined.
Dots are powered by GPT-6 Astra, the most advanced model in OpenAI's family, and, as a result, OpenAI says they are built to handle substantial, multi-step work. Like most AI products, Dots gets to know the user over time and becomes more helpful. It can also proactively look for ways to help, such as using information from your connected apps to provide useful updates about them. Although these sound like capabilities OpenAI has already delivered, the company describes Dots as feeling different from Codex or ChatGPT, highlighting its proactive capabilities and the range of what it can do. Ultimately, we'll be able to see for ourselves.
While using its most advanced model is more costly, it makes sense that the company is willing to pay the price as GPT-6 Astra is also the most aligned. With the Dots needing access to a significant amount of a user's information, security is of the utmost importance. This is evidenced by the launch of Muse, which has now been under scrutiny for the potential risks of sharing information with others. To build on this idea of safety, which users are likely to be most concerned about, OpenAI says it has built in additional precautions.
For instance, users can set Custom Rules that tell it exactly what it's allowed to do on its own, what it needs to ask permission for, and what it cannot do. To perform sensitive actions, such as changing a password or deleting data, users must give explicit permission. Dots from ChatGPT Business, Enterprise, or Edu workspaces are not used to improve OpenAI's models by default. On personal ChatGPT plans, it seems users have to take an extra step to turn it off.
At launch, users can start with one Dot, with the plan being that teams of Dots will be working on users' behalf in the future. The feature will be available in ChatGPT on the web, mobile, and desktop starting today for Pro and Business Premium users across all supported ChatGPT regions.
Our Deeper View #
The chance to test a more proactive, capable AI agent is exciting, but this release arrives at an interesting moment. Meta brought agents to the mainstream with Muse, whose approachable design draws in even beginners. Still, many people, myself included, are wary of handing Meta their data, and on that front OpenAI has the edge. My bigger concern is rogue agents. OpenAI points to its guardrails, but agents that go rogue tend to slip past those very safeguards, and it's unclear how the company will win people's trust on that front. Starting with power users, however, is a smart move: it limits the fallout if something goes wrong and gives OpenAI room to learn and iterate. I am looking forward to testing the feature myself and sharing my findings with The Deep View audience.