OpenAI launches Dots, always-on agents and its answer to Meta's Muse

OpenAI announced Dots, a family of always-on AI agents, at its DevDay 2026 event in San Francisco on September 29. The company describes them as agents that keep working in the background and complete tasks on a user's behalf, rather than answering one question at a time.

An agent with its own computer

Each Dot runs on its own cloud computer with a browser, a terminal and file storage, powered by OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra model. From there it can do research, analyze data, write documents or build software through Codex. Plugins connect a Dot to more than 4,000 apps, and users reach it through ChatGPT, Slack and Microsoft Teams, with context carried across all three. Voice calls work inside ChatGPT, while talking to a Dot over text message is still in testing.

Proactive by default, with limits

When nobody is working with it, a Dot looks for ways to help on its own. OpenAI calls this "proactive research," and in that mode the agent only uses read-only tools that cannot send messages or change files. Sensitive actions, such as installing software or changing a password, require the user's approval. A Custom Rules tool lets people allow, gate or block specific actions, and an Activity View shows what the agent is doing, including tasks running in the background.

Availability and the Muse rivalry

Dots start rolling out on September 29 for ChatGPT Pro subscribers, who pay $100 a month, and for Business Premium customers. Pro users in the European Economic Area, Switzerland and the UK cannot access the feature yet. One Dot comes with each subscription and chatting with it does not count against usage limits; OpenAI says more Dots and higher work volume will cost extra later. The launch follows Meta's Muse, which arrived about three weeks earlier with its own cloud computer and topped app download charts. OpenAI has also released the cheaper GPT-6.1 Sol model, while the top-end GPT-6.1 Astra is being held back over safety problems. The company is testing "specialist" Dots for businesses, which get their own identity and credentials.

Sources: WIRED · The Decoder · TechCrunch · The Verge