OpenAI's Dot Agent Is Enterprise Software That Can Also Order Dinner

The Verge reported that Dots have blobby, anthropomorphic avatars and customizable names. OpenAI says users will eventually be able to have multiple Dots, but for now they get one. The Verge named its test agent Dotty McDotface. The interface resembles Meta Muse's: users chat with the agent in one window and watch its work in another as it clicks around a virtual machine. But Dots are described as less like personal shoppers, even though they can help buy things, and more like coworkers: business software that can use other software. The virtual machine can access apps such as Blender and GIMP from the start. Users can also give a Dot access to their own computer through the desktop ChatGPT app and call it to work through tasks out loud.

OpenAI is offering Dots first to its highest-tier accounts, including the $100-per-month Pro account The Verge used for testing. Muse and its competitor Instinct cost nothing for now. The Verge said OpenAI's gated rollout says much about the intended audience despite the cute avatars.

The Verge tested Dots on everyday personal tasks and got mixed results. It first asked Dot to schedule an installation appointment for a new internet service provider. Dot almost completed it and even found a $100 promotional discount in the reporter's email that had been mass deleted, but it got stuck at a human check. Dot said the check needed a sustained mouse hold that its browser controls did not support, and asked the reporter to open its browser and hold the Press & Hold button until it completed, then tell it to continue with installation dates. The reporter complied, though The Verge compared the experience to teenagers outside a convenience store asking an adult to buy them wine coolers. With the human able to click and hold, Dot reached the checkout screen, where it asked for bank account details. There was no Stripe integration like Muse's to save credit card information and use a virtual card, and the provider needed bank account information to get a $5 monthly discount. Dot paused for the reporter to enter the numbers into the virtual browser, but the reporter did not trust it enough to enter a checking account number and did the task manually on their own computer.

Other tasks produced mixed results. Dot could not find the free tour and entry option at a coworking space the reporter wanted to try, and instead offered to sign up for a $35 day pass. Instinct's agent found the trial option and set up an appointment within minutes. Asked over the phone why it missed the option, Dot said, "I jumped to the wrong conclusion." The reporter hung up. Later, Dot was unable to log in to the reporter's Ikea account because it got stuck in a looping security check. A neighborhood teriyaki restaurant would not allow Dot onto its ordering page. The Verge said Dot seemed to get tripped up on security checks more often than Muse or Instinct, and Dot offered a link to OpenAI's page about websites blocking its cloud browser traffic as an explanation. Whatever the reason, The Verge said, Dot required more manual input and browser takeovers than other AI agents, possibly because it was not purpose-built for ordering teriyaki or handling Ikea returns.

Dot performed better when given access to something fully within the reporter's control: a personal website. The site was outdated, and the reporter asked Dot to pull together a new, more streamlined design. It did. When the reporter sat down to type out changes for the next version, the reporter decided to call Dot instead. They hashed out the changes section by section over about 10 minutes, and the reporter walked away.

Editor's Summary

OpenAI's Dots platform is an enterprise-first agent product that can use other software, with early access limited to high-tier accounts including the $100-per-month Pro plan. The Verge's testing found mixed results on personal errands, with security checks and manual handoffs limiting Dot even as it succeeded on tasks the user controlled, such as redesigning a personal website.