Last week, OpenAI announced Agent, a new feature on ChatGPT that can autonomously browse websites, analyze data, generate code, and even interact with third-party platforms like Google Drive and GitHub. Now, Agent is also available on the Mac app.
Operator meets Deep Research, now on the Mac
As OpenAI explained last week, ChatGPT Agent combines the Deep Research system for reading and interpreting site content, with the more visual, action-based Operator tool, which can interact with websites and platforms.
Once assigned a task, the agent spins up a visual environment and goes from there.
The Mac app implementation works just like on the web: you can either type /agent, or click the new Agent button at the bottom of the interface. Once you assign it a task, you can track the Agent’s progress via its reasoning timeline, and step in at any point to adjust or refine the outcome.
Cool, now what?
As with any other agentic AI tool, it takes some time to learn how to use it effectively in your specific context.
During the demo, the OpenAI team showcased a destination wedding planning scenario, in which ChatGPT Agent searched for multiple outfit options, planned a sightseeing route, checked hotel prices and availability, and looked for a wedding gift.
Behind the scenes, it visited multiple apparel websites and online stores, quoted hotel prices, checked the city’s event schedule, created a spreadsheet with options, plotted the path on a map, etc.
In another example (perhaps closer to most people’s reality), it took data from Google Drive, and used Terminal and OpenAI’s image generator to automatically create a slide presentation, complete with charts and images.
In one last example, Agent was tasked with quoting the order for 500 custom stickers. It went through the ordering process, including adding items to the cart, and left the final ordering step up to the team.
While it may be difficult at first to figure out how to take advantage of ChatGPT Agent, the best way to go around it is to think about what sort of tasks you wish you could hand off to an intern, go do something else, and check back later for the results and final adjustments.
Availability
ChatGPT Agent is currently available for ChatGPT Pro, Plus, and Team subscribers. Usage is limited to 400 queries per month for Pro users, and 40 for Plus and Team plans. OpenAI has promised a rollout for Enterprise and Edu users by the end of July.
Have you been using agentic AI assistants? Let us know in the comments.
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