OpenAI Rolls Out ChatGPT Dots, Always-On Agents for Pro and Business Users

OpenAI is pitching Dots as a productivity tool, similar to Meta's Muse agent, that can automate routine tasks and assist with longer projects that may take weeks or months. Dots are a paid feature available only to select subscribers in some countries. Consumers need a Pro plan. Pro plans start at $100 per month, with $200 and $500 tiers also available. At launch, Dots are not available to Pro subscribers in the European Union, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. OpenAI says on its support page that Dots are rolling out gradually and access may take several days to reach an account.

Business Premium customers can use Dots in every region where OpenAI offers ChatGPT, according to Engadget. Enterprise users, including those with Healthcare and Education accounts, can also use Dots if their workspace administrator has approved them. ChatGPT free, Go and Plus accounts are not included, and OpenAI has not said when or whether it plans to bring Dots to its more affordable paid tiers.

To create a first Dot, users must open the ChatGPT desktop app or visit the ChatGPT website through a PC browser and follow onboarding instructions. The ChatGPT mobile app and phone web browser cannot be used to create a Dot. During setup, users can name the Dot and give it an appearance. A named Dot can be invoked by typing @yourname-agentname, with agentname replaced by its unique identifier; otherwise it goes by @yourname-dot. After creation, users can converse with a Dot through the ChatGPT mobile app, though the mobile web client does not support the agents.

Dots can use more than 4,000 apps and counting through plugins already supported by ChatGPT. To connect an app, users can open the Dot's profile menu, select Customize, then Plugins, choose a supported app and review its permissions. Apps can be disconnected from the same menu.

The first Dot is included with a Pro or Business Premium plan. OpenAI says it will later let users pay for additional Dots and scale each one's output by either increasing its speed or the total amount of work it can take on per month. The company has not stated how pricing will work once those options become available. OpenAI is offering extended limits for Dot usage during the first month of availability; after that, usage will count against a plan allowance. Exact usage terms have not been shared. Talking to a Dot through ChatGPT will be free, and OpenAI also plans to let users text their Dots. Once texting is available, it will not count against usage limits.

Any work a Dot performs on a user's behalf will count against the monthly limit, including tasks completed through Codex or ChatGPT Work and work the Dot does on its own. Dots are powered by GPT-6 Astra, OpenAI's most powerful and expensive model. OpenAI launched a new $500 monthly Pro plan on the same day it announced Dots, a move Engadget said suggests the company expects Dots to consume tokens. Users planning to make Dots part of their workflow should monitor usage during the first month so they are not surprised when OpenAI starts metering usage, Engadget reported.