OpenAI launches dots, an always-on AI assistant

OpenAI released an always-on AI personal assistant called dots that works in the background of its ChatGPT apps for paid subscribers, connecting to users' calendars, email, and other tools to proactively help with work tasks. The product represents a shift in how AI companies are packaging their coding tools and models, moving from chat interfaces to persistent agents framed as single entities rather than multiple separate conversations. Dots collects data about users to improve its helpfulness through a feature called proactive research, raising privacy concerns similar to those facing competitors, though OpenAI says users can control model training and resource access. The scalability of AI agents remains uncertain, as businesses and individuals may resist interacting with multiple agents, and the infrastructure supporting widespread agent use, particularly for financial transactions, is still being developed.