OpenAI describes DOTS as always-on agents for delegated work

OpenAI described DOTS as agents for work users delegate rather than tasks they must spell out and supervise step by step. A Dot can run on its own cloud computer, connect to a user’s computer, and appear in Slack with an identity linked to its owner. It can stay online, conduct proactive research, and adapt to feedback about the user’s goals and preferences, though getting value from it takes some initial time and guidance. Examples included finding files, updating a blog after a product change, organizing altered travel plans, and building games. OpenAI highlighted potential uses for solopreneurs and small-business owners, and said it plans to bring much of the same technology and capabilities to ChatGPT in the future, for what the speaker called its 1.2 billion users.

The same open-source Codex harness powers DOTS and OpenAI’s managed Agents API. OpenAI described continually adjusting the harness as models improve: it can compensate for current model limitations, then parts may need to be removed if they hold newer models back. Work on the harness focuses on efficiency, safety, and security. The product’s communication design also separates user-approved messages sent as the user from autonomous agent activity: after messages sent as users with an internal “sent by ChatGPT” label became noisy, the team moved toward distinct agent identities and names such as “owner-bot.”