OpenAI is trying to leave behind the restrictive walls of a chatbot text box and expand into every nook and cranny of your device. On Thursday, the company announced ChatGPT Agent, its foray into the growing “agentic” space that allows artificial intelligence models to perform specific tasks.
According to the company, the ChatGPT Agent uses a virtual computer to handle specific requests from start to finish. The company offered examples like “look at my calendar and brief me on upcoming client meetings based on recent news,” “plan and buy ingredients to make Japanese breakfast for four,” and “analyze three competitors and create a slide deck.” Once given the task, ChatGPT Agent acts independently without additional input to navigate websites, open apps, and perform the tasks it was given.
The Verge reports that ChatGPT Agent was built on a new, unnamed model that OpenAI developed specifically for this project that combines the functionality of its Operator tool, which can navigate web browsers, and Deep Research, which can complete multi-step research and analysis tasks—both features that were introduced earlier this year. Additionally, the Agent tool was reportedly trained on complex tasks that can require multiple tools to complete, like jumping between a browser and the terminal.
The early impressions of the agent appear a bit mixed. The Verge noted that while it appears quite capable of tackling multi-step operations, it can be slow to complete its tasks and is not designed for humans to sit there and watch it work. Wired, likewise, said that the thing isn’t exactly blazing fast. It took an hour to order cupcakes for OpenAI’s research lead, Isa Fulford, who said that still amounts to saving time because she “didn’t want to do it.” One feature that Wired highlighted as leaving an impression was the agent’s “replay” feature, which lets you replay the steps it takes to understand and complete its tasks.
Agents are all the buzz in the world of AI, often positioned as human replacements for certain tasks. Klarna, for instance, adopted AI agents to take over its customer support operation, only to backtrack and bring back human operators due to the quality of work the agents provided.
ChatGPT Agent will be available to people who are subscribed to a ChatGPT Pro, Plus, or Team plan, where it can be accessed by selecting “agent mode.” The company said it will introduce the agent to ChatGPT Enterprise and Education users later this summer.
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