Operator: OpenAI’s Next Step Toward the ‘Agentic’ Future

Operator and the Computer-Using Agent will be available through the OpenAI API at an undisclosed time.

With laptop and smartphone makers like Samsung spreading generative AI across all aspects of their devices, OpenAI is trying the same with an agentic tool announced on Jan. 23. The tool, called Operator, runs on the same basic technology as ChatGPT but resides within a proprietary web browser. This enables it to autonomously perform actions such as ordering groceries or booking tours.

OpenAI suggested in a blog post Operator could “ope[n] up new engagement opportunities for businesses,” but did not elaborate.

What is OpenAI’s Operator?

Operator is an application that includes a web browser and the generative AI model GPT-4o. It’s the result of an OpenAI project to train GPT-4o’s vision capabilities on the graphical user interfaces found on typical web pages. Its ability to make multi-step plans and correct ...