OpenAI launches "dots" personal assistant for Pro users

OpenAI unveiled its new personal assistant, called "dots," at the company's developer day in September and demonstrated it at TechCrunch Disrupt. The tool is available in the ChatGPT desktop and mobile apps for subscribers on the Pro tier or higher, with pricing starting at $100 per month. Once linked to a user’s calendar, email and other applications, the assistant monitors information and offers suggestions to help complete tasks.

Alexander Embiricos, head of OpenAI’s enterprise product team, said the product is designed to feel like a single, continuous conversation rather than a series of separate interactions. He noted that while similar capabilities can be achieved with OpenAI’s Codex coding tool, "dots" aims to be more intuitive and require less manual setup.

In testing, the assistant was able to flag calendar conflicts and upcoming deadlines, though timing of alerts varied. Embiricos cited an early example where the assistant warned him of a conflict only three minutes before the event, and he expects such notifications to become more timely as the system improves.

The assistant also includes a feature called "proactive research," which periodically reviews the user’s data and permissions to identify ways it could be more helpful. OpenAI says the same privacy controls that apply to ChatGPT are available for "dots," allowing users to disable model training and manage resource access, though the controls are not highly granular.

Embiricos acknowledged feedback that the assistant initially asked for permission too frequently and indicated that default settings may be adjusted over time. He also emphasized that he prefers not to meet with other companies' AI agents and maintains a human assistant for corporate interactions.

OpenAI indicated that it is exploring collaborations with payment processors to enable future spending capabilities, but such features are not yet available.