OpenAI unveils dots, 24-hour GPT-6 Astra agent

OpenAI introduced dots at its OpenAI DevDay event on September 29, with CEO Sam Altman presenting the feature. Rather than a chat tool that answers when prompted, dots is described as running autonomously on a cloud computer around the clock, taking on tasks according to goals the user sets. Users interact with it through text messages or chat tools, and it connects to more than 4,000 apps to carry out requests.

OpenAI frames the feature's value around moments when it delivers more than what was asked. As an example, the company cites an early tester whose dots prepared paperwork on the user's behalf after they had forgotten to issue an invoice, then sent it once the user approved.

The rollout starts the same day as the announcement but is uneven. Pro plan users get dots on the Web, mobile, and desktop versions of ChatGPT in regions excluding Europe, Switzerland, and the UK, while Business and Enterprise users in all regions can also use it. Only one agent can be configured at first. For the first month, OpenAI says there will be no usage limit for dots on these plans, and it will announce limits after that period. How useful dots proves in practice may hinge on whether it reliably acts on its own without unwanted side effects, and on how OpenAI sets those limits once the first month ends.