OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, unveils its first AI agent. On Thursday, the business unveiled a research preview of a device called Operator. This device can access the Internet and perform tasks such as making memes, shopping for groceries, scheduling flights, and completing forms.
It is not currently available in Europe and is only accessible to those with ChatGPT’s Pro membership plan in the United States.
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Limited availability and future plans
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated during a livestream on Thursday that “[Operator] will be [in] other countries soon.”
He said, “Unfortunately, Europe will take a while,” without explaining.
Operator is available exclusively to users subscribed to ChatGPT Pro at $200 per month. OpenAI plans to expand access to other tiers in the coming months, including its $20-a-month Plus plan.
AI agents are engineered to perform autonomous actions to aid humans. They operate independently without the necessity for explicit human instructions and collect data in accordance with user preferences.
An AI chatbot like ChatGPT, intended for human-like conversations and acts more as a co-pilot to help humans, is not the same.
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What is an Operator?
According to OpenAI, the Operator may instead use its browser to view a webpage and interact with it by typing and using mouse functions like clicking and scrolling. Additionally, the company claimed to be able to “see” through screenshots.
The Computer-Using Agent (CUA) model powers the AI agent. It combines the visual capabilities of OpenAI’s GPT-4o with sophisticated reasoning through reinforcement learning.
“Moving from generating text and images to doing things is the right direction”, said Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI.
According to OpenAI, it will eventually merge these features into ChatGPT and extend Operator to Plus, Team, and Enterprise subscription users.
The company “encounters challenges with complex interfaces like creating slideshows or managing calendars” and is “still learning, evolving and may make mistakes.”
The first company to introduce an AI agent was not OpenAI. Additionally, Slack, Google, and Microsoft have introduced their agents.
AI solutions like Operator provide more integrated and efficient digital support as AI technology advances. With its launch, OpenAI intends to change how people use technology daily.