What happened?

On 29 September 2026 OpenAI introduced Dots. A dot is an always-on agent with its own cloud computer, its own browser, and a plugin path into more than 4,000 apps. The model under it is GPT-6 Astra. You reach it in ChatGPT on desktop, web, and mobile, and in Slack or Teams. Texting is promised, not shipping yet. Voice is there when you want to talk something out.

The pitch is the same shelf as Grok Bot, which SpaceXAI put in early beta on 11 August: a teammate that keeps working after you close the laptop, learns how you like the work done, and comes back when a decision needs you. OpenAI's examples are the familiar ones. A bug shows up in Slack and the dot starts looking. A design arrives and the dot turns it into a working app. An early tester's dot noticed a forgotten invoice, prepared it, and sent it after approval.

You start with one primary dot, give it a name, and connect apps. The first dot is included in Pro and Business Premium in eligible markets, at no extra charge. Enterprise, Edu, and Healthcare can turn on a beta if the workspace admin allows it. OpenAI plans to add more dots later, and to sell either more speed or more monthly work. Conversations with the dot do not count toward ChatGPT usage limits. Tasks it starts in Codex or ChatGPT Work still do.

Two controls matter more than the film. Proactive research, the background mode, is restricted to read-only tools. It cannot send messages, change app content, or drive your browser or computer while you are away. Your own laptop stays separate unless you connect it. Saved website passwords can be used without being shown to the model. Custom rules let you allow, require approval, or block specific actions. Built-in safety rules still apply. Business, Enterprise, and Edu content is not used to train models by default. On personal plans that toggle is yours. OpenAI says it does not train directly on proactive research or on the dot's notes to itself.

Specialist dots are the org version: their own identity, credentials, and a defined job (procurement, invoices, support, contracting, in OpenAI's early tests). Those are pilots, not a self-serve switch. Microsoft Agent 365 is the named governance path, still a goal, not a finished console.

Why this is interesting

  • Same job as Grok Bot, different desk - Both sell finished work, not a better answer. Grok Bot lives in Cursor and the Grok apps. Dots live where a company already chats: ChatGPT, Slack, Teams.
  • One computer versus many - Grok Bot's own FAQ says every bot shares one cloud computer per user, so they can hand files and logins around. Each dot gets its own computer. Isolation is the product difference, not a slogan.
  • Plugins versus signing in - Dots lean on an app ecosystem of 4,000-plus plugins, plus an optional link to your laptop. Grok Bot's bet was computer-use: sign into the site the way a person does, including tools with no API. Different failure modes.
  • The free tier is the conversation, not the deep work - The first dot is included. The allowance for heavier jobs is capped, with a wider first month. More dots, more speed, more monthly output are the later meters.
  • Read-only while you are away - That is the right default. A teammate that can send mail at 3 a.m. without a rule is a liability. OpenAI put the send button behind approval unless you explicitly allow it.

What it is not

Not a rollout to every ChatGPT user. Not a promise that the dot is reliable on Swiss SSO, MFA, or a tool with no plugin. Not the same machine as Grok Bot. Not unlimited Codex. Not a finished Microsoft admin console. The launch film is a demo. The invoice story is one early tester, not a measured rate.

Bottom line

Dots is OpenAI's answer to the persistent teammate: own computer, own name, works in the apps you already open, asks before it acts unless you said otherwise. If you already live in ChatGPT or Slack, this is the one to try first. If your work sits in tools with no plugin, Grok Bot's sign-in path is still the closer match. Either way the human job is the same: set the boundary, then review what came back.