Operator: The Real AI Agent by OpenAI

What are AI agents capable of in real life?

Being under the impression of DeepSeek, it seems everyone forgot (frankly speaking, me too) about another important release—ChatGPT Operator. But this is not just a new chatbot but a big step of OpenAI towards AI agents.

And there's a lot to talk about.

So, in today’s issue:

• What is ChatGPT Operator

• 5 Use Cases with Real Life Examples

• Alternatives You Can Try Right Now

Operator is only available to Pro subscribers in the US, but we have alternatives you can use anywhere. Luckily, there are already quite a few of them.

Keep your mailbox updated with practical knowledge & key news from the AI industry!

ChatGPT Operator | Quick Overview

Operator is an AI agent designed to perform tasks on the web autonomously. It emulates human interaction with computer interfaces by combining GPT-4o's vision capabilities with advanced reasoning through reinforcement learning. The agent clicks links, scrolls pages, and enters text where needed. The type of task can be almost anything—as long as your workflows don't extend beyond the browser.

According to OpenAI, 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 custom API integrations.

And it even generates some pretty good memes about itself!

If before you went to the ChatGPT app or website, entered the necessary prompts, and then went back to the right platform and did the work manually, it's different with Operator. All you have to do is give the AI the desired command consisting of several actions and just watch it act in your stead.

What exactly it will do depends on the user's workflows. It could be the usual shopping and travel preparation or, for example, full automation of an unloved social network. (Yes, I mean LinkedIn, but more on that later).

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Here are a few of Operator’s features that I find most important:

• Personalization: Like regular ChatGPT, Operator can remember your data. Create custom instructions for specific sites in advance and tell the AI your preferences.

For example, Operator will buy certain products on Instacart or book airline tickets from pre-selected airlines on Booking.

• Multitasking: The Agent from OpenAI is not limited to single window operation. You can run multiple processes that it will execute simultaneously.

This feature has passed many users. However, it is really handy because it means we can build multi-level processes around a single bot.

• Security & Safety: Although Operator can do all the work on its own, the developer has limited some features. In particular, when using personal or payment information, the browser's control is returned to the user.

By the way, Operator will also occasionally call on you to deal with CAPTHAs. Yeah, you can't get away from that.

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Limitations

As for limitations, Operator has all the same problems as regular ChatGPT, but with a few shortcomings of its own.

Speed: If you expect Operator to act like an advanced user using a bunch of hotkeys, I must disappoint you. The more complex the task, the more time it takes.

Limited autonomy: This item is both a pros and cons of the agent's AI. For now, Operator is not allowed to manage your data, even if you ask for it. It also handles captchas very poorly.

Lack of push notifications: This seems like a small thing, but given the previous limitation, it's an annoying drawback. The agent can stall at the very beginning of the process and you won't know about it until you return to the appropriate window.

But these are all pretty general points. Let's see how Operator works in real life.

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Use Cases & Examples

As is traditional, it didn't take long for the creators at X and Reddit to curb the capabilities of OpenAI's first AI agent. Here are the most notable real-world examples for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and engineers.

Specifically an AI agent is able to act as:

• Content Creator

• Coding Assistant

• Sales Manager

• App Builder

But let's go in order.