logo
From wedding planning to online shopping, ChatGPT agent can do it all

From wedding planning to online shopping, ChatGPT agent can do it all

The National5 days ago
OpenAI has introduced a new tool on its ChatGPT platform to offer more support to users, such as doing the heavy lifting for wedding planning or online shopping.
The feature, ChatGPT agent, is capable of "handling complex tasks from start to finish", San Francisco-based OpenAI said on Thursday. In other words, it can process long, detailed queries and return results in the same manner – and then some.
The new tool has accelerated the generative artificial intelligence race. It is the latest of OpenAI's tools as the company seeks to and assert its dominance in the crowded field, distinguishing itself from major companies such as Microsoft, Google, Anthropic and Elon Musk's Grok, as well as upstarts including DeepSeek and Qwen.
What can ChatGPT agent do?
In a detailed video, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and his team flaunted ChatGPT agent's capabilities, with Mr Altman pointing out that "people wanted a unified agent that could go off" on its own.
ChatGPT agent, according to OpenAI, can handle even the most complex, long and detailed tasks. As an example, Mr Altman's team asked ChatGPT to plan a wedding, complete with suggestions for five outfits that matched the theme, gifts under $500 and hotel options on Booking.com.
After seven seconds, ChatGPT agent replied that it was looking into it, in addition to more queries. In this case, it wanted to know the exact date of the wedding, which was not mentioned earlier.
It resulted in detailed suggestions and options in response to the request. While this is not surprising, the highlight is that it did not miss a beat and answered everything in the query.
How does it work?
ChatGPT agent uses its "own computer", a suite of tools that includes a visual browser that interacts with the internet through a graphical-user interface, a text-based browser for simpler reasoning-based web queries, a terminal and direct API access.
It is also capable of connecting to apps including Gmail and developer platform Github, so ChatGPT can find information that is relevant to queries and use them in responses, OpenAI said.
In addition, users can take over the visual browser by logging in on a website, giving them full control and having ChatGPT go deeper in its "research and task execution".
"Giving ChatGPT these different avenues for accessing and interacting with web information means it can choose the optimal path to most efficiently perform tasks," OpenAI added.
Is ChatGPT agent free?
Users can activate ChatGPT agent by clicking on the tools button under ChatGPT's prompt line and selecting "agent". However, you can only use it if you are subscribed to ChatGPT's paid tiers – Pro, Plus or Team, which cost $20, $200, and $25 or $30 a month, respectively.
This was to be expected, because advanced tools normally are not available for free.
The introduction of ChatGPT agent began on Thursday, with Pro users getting first the crack at it. The Plus and Team tiers will gain access to it "over the next few days", while Enterprise and Education users will have to wait. However, it still will not be available for the European Economic Area and Switzerland.
Not risk-free
This is the first time users can ask ChatGPT to take action on the internet and doing so introduces new risks, "particularly because ChatGPT agent can work directly with your data, whether it's information accessed through connectors or websites that you have logged it into via takeover mode", OpenAI said.
"ChatGPT agent's expanded tools and broader user reach mean its overall risk profile is higher," it added.
A key safeguard in ChatGPT agent is that it limits access to certain tasks, from personal actions such as sending emails, which require user oversight, to more sensitive, "high-risk tasks" including bank transfers, which ChatGPT agent would refuse to do.
In any case, such tasks potentially or do involve personal and confidential user data that, in theory, could be misused. "Overall, we expect continued improvements to ChatGPT agent's efficiency, depth and versatility over time, including more seamless interactions as we continue to adjust the amount of oversight required from the user to make it more useful while ensuring it's safe to use," OpenAI said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Amazon to Acquire AI Wearables Startup Bee
Amazon to Acquire AI Wearables Startup Bee

TECHx

time2 hours ago

  • TECHx

Amazon to Acquire AI Wearables Startup Bee

Home » Startups » Amazon to Acquire AI Wearables Startup Bee Amazon has reached a deal to acquire Bee, a San Francisco-based startup that makes AI wearables. The company produces a $50 bracelet that records conversations and uses artificial intelligence to transcribe and summarize them. Bee's wristband can generate summaries, create to-do lists, and perform other tasks using the captured audio. The AI wearable can also be muted by users when desired. Amazon confirmed the acquisition on Tuesday after Bee CEO and co-founder Maria de Lourdes Zollo shared the news in a LinkedIn post. However, the company did not disclose the deal's financial terms and said it has not yet closed. A spokesperson for Amazon stated the company will work with Bee to give users more control over the devices. Zollo wrote that the company envisioned 'a world where AI is truly personal,' powered by technology that adapts to users' lives. Bee was founded in 2022 and is known for its AI-powered wristband. Amazon previously launched its own wearable, Halo, which was discontinued in 2023. This acquisition adds to Amazon's ongoing efforts in the AI wearables space. The company already offers Echo smart glasses embedded with Alexa. According to Zollo's post, Bee will join the devices group led by Amazon executive Panos Panay once the deal is finalized. The move follows broader trends in the AI wearables market. OpenAI recently acquired io, a startup founded by former Apple designer Jony Ive, in a $6.5 billion deal. Other startups have also entered the AI wearable segment, though results have varied. Much of Amazon's AI development continues within its Amazon Web Services division. Source: Reuters

Trump's AI plan seeks to remove regulatory barriers and shuns DEI
Trump's AI plan seeks to remove regulatory barriers and shuns DEI

The National

time3 hours ago

  • The National

Trump's AI plan seeks to remove regulatory barriers and shuns DEI

President Donald Trump on Wednesday unveiled a three-pillared strategy that his administration refers to as America's AI Action Plan, after much anticipation from US technology companies. Accelerating artificial intelligence innovation, building AI infrastructure in the US and leading in AI diplomacy are the strategy's three main sections. Mr Trump was expected to speak in greater detail about the AI strategy at an event in Washington later on Wednesday. Like many of Mr Trump's initiatives, his proposal seeks to portray former president Joe Biden's AI strategy as burdensome from a regulatory perspective and full of identity politics and environmental red tape. President Trump's plan directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology to 'revise the AI management framework, eliminating references to diversity, equity and inclusion, misinformation and climate change'. The AI push also looks at issues many experts consider more pertinent to the global AI race. It seeks to streamline the construction permit process for data centres, which are becoming critical to AI breakthroughs. The plan also emphasises exporting 'American AI technologies through full-stack deployment packages and international data centre initiatives led by the Department of Commerce'. That sort of data centre deal is similar to what was unveiled during President Trump's visit to the UAE in May. Then, President Sheikh Mohamed and Mr Trump announced plans for a new 5GW UAE-US AI Campus in Abu Dhabi. If more of those deals come to fruition, it could help the US gain influence as other countries seek to join the race to provide computational power for AI. Hypothetically, it could also give the US a competitive edge over China, which also aims to be a dominant AI player. With his AI Action Plan, Mr Trump is attempting to put the kibosh on local regulatory efforts within the US. State legislative bodies have passed laws to put guardrails on AI in an effort to protect workers from labour disruption. 'Prohibit federal AI funds from going to states with restrictive AI regulations,' reads one of the plan descriptions, also insisting that such prohibitive policies 'respect states' legislative rights'. On a technical level, proponents of open-source AI development are likely to take a victory lap after Mr Trump's plan. It throws support behind open-source and open-weight AI models. Supporters of open-source AI models often say they democratise artificial intelligence, whereas closed-source models only allow for those with access to larger computing infrastructures to develop the technology. Neil Chilson, former chief technologist for the Federal Trade Commission and currently head of artificial intelligence policy at the Abundance Institute, called the AI plan a 'course correction' from the previous policies of the Biden White House. 'We're particularly excited to see the emphasis on removing regulatory barriers to AI adoption and deployment and streamlining of infrastructure permitting,' he said. Over at the Competitive Enterprise Institute think tank, reaction to President Trump's plan was more tepid, alleging that the AI plan still exerted too much regulatory control. 'The plan's push for international AI standards is similar to the European Union's stultifying regulatory harmonization, which, among other things, is locking the continent into USB-C technology for years to come, even as better technologies emerge,' said Ryan Young, Senior Economist with the Competitive Enterprise Institute. According to White House officials, President Trump is pushing 90 federal policy actions in the plan, which comes after he sought public input for a comprehensive AI policy in February. Tech companies, academics and advocacy groups submitted ideas. Consumer rights, labour and environmental groups outlined areas of concern within Mr Trump's less restrictive stance on AI. Several organisations, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation, were concerned the tech industry would have too much influence in crafting the AI plan. 'While current machine-learning technologies have some positive applications, they are also being adopted in consequential decision-making contexts where these emerging technologies are likely to cause harm and unlikely to deliver the promised benefits,' the EFF wrote in a March letter to the White House. During a conference call with reporters, the White House disagreed with the narrative that tech firms had amassed more influence. 'It was probably one of the most diverse set of individuals from across the country and across different sectors, from civil society to Hollywood to academia to the private sector,' a White House official said. The Trump administration said it had received more than 10,000 responses to the requests for guidance, from which it moulded the AI plan. Early in Mr Trump's second term, he signed an executive order that rescinded Mr Biden's executive order on AI. That order acknowledged the tremendous potential upside of AI and encouraged the acceleration of vital AI standards, but was also geared towards implementing guardrails to protect consumers. 'Developers of the most powerful AI systems [must] share their safety test results and other critical information with the US government,' a portion of Mr Biden's executive order read. That policy is largely absent from President Trump's plan.

Trump again calls for Fed board to act, says Powell 'doesn't get it'
Trump again calls for Fed board to act, says Powell 'doesn't get it'

Zawya

time4 hours ago

  • Zawya

Trump again calls for Fed board to act, says Powell 'doesn't get it'

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday reiterated his criticism of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell amid his ongoing call for lower rates, and called on the central bank's board to act. "Our Rate should be three points lower than they are, saving us $1 Trillion per year (as a Country). This stubborn guy at the Fed just doesn't get it — Never did, and never will. The Board should act, but they don't have the Courage to do so!" Trump wrote on his social media platform. (Reporting by Bhargav Acharya; writing by Susan Heavey)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store