The launch comes after OpenAI, in partnership with SoftBank, announced a $500bn AI project, called Stargate.  Credit: JarTee/Shutterstock.

OpenAI has launched Operator, a research preview of an AI agent, which is capable of autonomously performing tasks on the web.  

In a statement, the ChatGPT maker said: “Operator is one of our first agents, which are AIs capable of doing work for you independently—you give it a task and it will execute it.” 

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Initially available to US users on ChatGPT’s $200 Pro subscription plan, Operator is expected to expand to more users in the Plus, Team, and Enterprise tiers.  

“The ability to use the same interfaces and tools that humans interact with on a daily basis broadens the utility of AI, helping people save time on everyday tasks while opening up new engagement opportunities for businesses,” the company said.  

Operator is powered by the Computer-Using Agent (CUA) model, which integrates GPT-4o’s vision capabilities with “advanced reasoning” through reinforcement learning.  

This is said to allow the CUA to interact with graphical user interfaces (GUIs) such as buttons, menus, and text fields on a screen.  

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“Operator can “see” (through screenshots) and “interact” (using all the actions a mouse and keyboard allow) with a browser, enabling it to take action on the web without requiring custom API integrations,” OpenAI explained. 

If Operator encounters challenges or makes errors, it can “self-correct” using its reasoning capabilities. In situations where it requires assistance, Operator hands control back to the user.

The launch comes after OpenAI, in partnership with SoftBank, announced a $500bn AI project, called Stargate. 

OpenAI said Stargate intends to build “new AI infrastructure for OpenAI” in the US, with the initial funding of $100bn being deployed “immediately”. 

Separately, OpenAI competitor Perplexity launched an agent-based assistant for Android devices.  

In a post on X, Perplexity said: “Assistant uses reasoning, search, and apps to help with daily tasks ranging from simple questions to multi-app actions. You can book dinner, find a forgotten song, call a ride, draft emails, set reminders, and more.”