What are OpenAI dots? Always-on agents explained

dots are always-on AI agents announced by OpenAI on 29 September 2026. Each dot runs on GPT-6 Astra, has its own cloud computer and browser, connects to more than 4,000 apps through plugins, and can keep working on a project in your name while you are doing something else.

The core shift: from prompt to responsibility

Most AI tools answer a request and stop. With dots, the unit of work is not the message but the responsibility: you hand a dot an objective or an area, and it keeps going as conditions change.

OpenAI describes dots as built to handle everything, and as learning what matters to you over time. In practice that means three things:

• Continuity. A dot keeps project context across conversations, not just inside one.
• Execution. It does not only suggest: it can operate a computer, drive a browser, and write and test code.
• Bounded initiative. When you are not working with it, it looks for useful work in the background using read-only tools.

What it looks like in practice

OpenAI describes scenarios like these:

Situation	What the dot does
You are building an app	Reads customer feedback, spots recurring requests, fixes bugs, and hands you complete pull requests with a video attached
You are launching a product	Learns your positioning and creative standards, then redrafts materials when scope changes
You work in research	Re-runs analyses as new data arrives and updates the figures in your paper
You lead a sales team	Compares customer requirements against product docs and updates the proposal when things change
You produce content	Learns your style, finds moments in an interview, and drafts posts for your approval

The pattern is always the same: the dot does the work, you review and approve.

Where your dot lives

A dot is not tied to one interface. You can talk to it in ChatGPT on web, mobile and desktop, and over voice call. OpenAI added text messaging, Slack and Teams, and keeps context across channels: start a project in ChatGPT, add a detail by text, share more context in Slack.

There is also a limited-capacity waitlist for Pro users who want SMS through iMessage and RCS.

What dots is not

The naming confusion around launch makes precision worth the space:

• It is not a model. The model is GPT-6 Astra; dots is the product.
• It is not a chatbot. It has its own identity, credentials and permissions, plus its own execution environment.
• It is not unsupervised autonomy. Built-in rules decide when it can act alone and when it needs approval, and certain sensitive tasks — changing a password is OpenAI’s example — always stay with you.
• It does not replace your computer. The dot works on its own cloud computer and only reaches your devices if you explicitly allow it.

Your dot has a name, a handle and a pet

A part of the product that tends to get overlooked and explains much of its personality: dots are depicted as creatures, and you can pick a character or a pet for yours. OpenAI notes the dot may even generate a pet for you.

You can name it at creation. Its default handle is @yourname-dot, and once you name it the handle becomes @yourname-agentname. To change the name or avatar later, open the dot’s profile and use the pencil icon.

That design choice — creatures instead of abstract assistants — drew criticism: some reviewers read it as a confusing mix of consumer branding with software-engineering use cases. It is a positioning critique rather than a functional one, but worth knowing.

Availability at launch

dots begins rolling out to Pro and Business Premium users in enabled markets. Enterprise customers — including Edu and Healthcare — can try the beta once a workspace admin enables it. There is also a limited preview of specialized dots for enterprises.

Three conditions worth fixing in mind:

• The Pro plan excludes the European Economic Area, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Business Premium has no such exclusion.
• It is not available to users under 18.
• The rollout is gradual: access may take several days to reach your account.

The product was announced at DevDay 2026 in San Francisco on 29 September 2026.

This page was verified against OpenAI’s official announcement. Availability and limits move fast: check the enabled markets list before assuming dots is live where you are.