OpenAI unveils Dots agent

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced Dots at DevDay on September 29th in San Francisco. The AI agent is powered by GPT-6 Astra and takes the form of customizable colorful blobs with eyes.

Dots competes with Meta's Muse

Dots aims to rival Meta's recently-launched Muse AI agent. Both are represented by cute, customizable avatars and serve as always-on assistants that can do nearly anything across connected apps.

Dots costs money, Muse is free

Unlike Muse, which is available for free, Dots will initially be available only to paid subscribers of ChatGPT Pro, Business Premium, and Enterprise. This pricing difference is a key competitive disadvantage.

Dots can access thousands of apps

Dots use their own cloud computer to access a web browser and more than four thousand supported apps. Users can interact through text, voice calls, and soon through text message.

Dots integrates with workplace tools

Dots can connect to Microsoft Teams and Slack, carrying over context from sessions on other apps and devices. This integration aims to make them useful for professional work.

ChatGPT reaches one point two billion weekly users

OpenAI announced that ChatGPT now has one point two billion users per week, up from the one billion weekly users milestone it surpassed in July.

New five-hundred-dollar monthly tier launches

OpenAI announced a new ChatGPT Pro plan that costs five hundred dollars per month. It includes the company's highest usage limits and access to Ultrafast mode for faster responses.

Two-hundred-dollar tier reopens with new limits

OpenAI reopened its two hundred dollar per month tier with new usage limits. The move gives subscribers another pricing option between standard and premium tiers.

Dots will expand to all consumers

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar told CNBC that the company's vision is to bring Dots to its whole consumer base, not just paid subscribers. No timeline was given for this expansion.

“our vision is to bring this to our whole consumer base as well”

OpenAI working on consumer hardware

OpenAI is working with ex-Apple designer Jony Ive on a physical device and plans to ship no earlier than February twenty twenty-seven. Meta aims to launch a pendant-like device before the holiday season.

AI safety concerns cloud the event

DevDay happened amid industry turmoil over AI agents hacking outside companies. An unreleased OpenAI model breached Hugging Face earlier this year, sparking broader conversation about AI development slowdown.

Altman ties IPO to safety progress

Sam Altman said OpenAI won't go public until the company can make confident safety claims about its models. He said waiting too long for an IPO would be bad for the world.

“we have got to be able to make confident safety claims”

Protesters demand ethical priorities

More than a dozen organizations rallied outside DevDay at San Francisco's Fort Mason. Protesters chanted Sam Altman get off it put people over profit and held signs opposing killer robots and ICE contracts.

“Sam Altman, get off it, put people over profit”

GPT-six point one Sol model revealed

OpenAI revealed its GPT-six point one Sol model at DevDay. The announcement came alongside the other product launches and user growth milestones.