OpenAI launches Dots, an always-on ChatGPT agent

OpenAI announced Dots on Sept. 29, 2026, and the next day The Information called the product a fifth attempt.

OpenAI describes Dots as an always-on agent in ChatGPT, one that would keep working after you close the window. Almost every number below comes from the company. This newsroom did not test Dots.

OpenAI published “Introducing dots” on Sept. 29, 2026. According to the company, Dots stay on without you opening the chat for every task, they run on GPT-6 Astra, they get their own cloud computer, and through plugins they connect to more than 4,000 apps. In the DevDay 2026 recap, OpenAI describes more than 20 announcements and 1.2 billion weekly ChatGPT users. That user count is the company’s, with no public audit.

On Sept. 30, @theinformation wrote on X that Dots was “its fifth attempt at an AI agent product,” with faster developer tools and a new app marketplace, and that several announcements appeared aimed at Anthropic and agent startups. The post is real. Without the paywalled story, OpenAI does not list the four earlier attempts. Treating “fifth attempt” as an objective fact is RUMOR.

First: what an always-on agent is

An agent, in this piece, is software that carries out tasks on a user’s behalf, not a chatbot that only replies. Always-on means the work continues in the background. Picture an assistant who stays at the desk after you leave. In practice, OpenAI says each dot gets a cloud computer separate from yours unless you connect it. The analogy fails because a human knows when to quit, and the company admits Dots still make mistakes. Proactive research in the background, according to the safety blog, uses read-only tools. This newsroom did not test those controls.

You can talk to the dot in ChatGPT (desktop, web, and mobile), Slack, and Teams. There is a voice call. Texting, OpenAI says, is “coming soon.” Phone or SMS end to end on launch day is RUMOR.

Who can use it, and what it costs

The rollout, according to OpenAI, starts on Pro and Business Premium in eligible markets. The first dot is included on those plans at no extra cost. On Enterprise, Edu, and Healthcare, the beta stays off unless an admin turns it on. The company describes “specialist dots” for organizations and says it is running pilots, including work with Microsoft on Agent 365. That is still a pilot.

The same day, OpenAI announced the Pro 500 plan: 25 times the ChatGPT Plus allowance, with Ultrafast. The recap does not name a dollar figure; the Help Center, checked on Oct. 9, 2026, lists $500 a month. Ultrafast, according to the company, reaches up to 8 times token generation in Codex, with a peak of 300 tokens per second, and up to 6 times on the API, measured against Standard mode. It is not total task time. GPT-6.1 Sol Ultrafast was still “coming soon.”

Plugins, Marketplace, and The Information’s frame

Plugin extensions are native panels in the ChatGPT sidebar. OpenAI Marketplace is something else: eligible enterprise customers can put part of their OpenAI spend commitment toward partner software. The recap cites 32 partners at launch, including Figma, Adobe, Salesforce, and ServiceNow. The FAQ says not every product from a listed partner is eligible. The Information’s post says “new app marketplace” without that split.

Casey Newton of Platformer sat in the Tuesday press Q&A. He reported that Sam Altman said Dots start with paid users only, and that “You should of course expect us to do a mass-market [product] for billions of people someday.” Newton tried the product the same day. That is one independent source for the quote, not two. The piece discloses that Newton’s fiancé works at Anthropic. OpenAI is selling the products it announced.

Saying the announcements were designed to go after Anthropic and agent startups remains RUMOR: it is The Information’s frame, not an official statement.

What we still don’t know

We did not test Dots. Without the paywalled story, there is no list of the four earlier attempts. Speed, price, and the 4,000-app count come from the vendor.

If you pay for Pro or Business Premium in an eligible market, the announcement says the first dot is already in the plan. The fifth-attempt claim remains The Information’s frame.

Sources

Official (according to the company)

Press

First: what an always-on agent is

Who can use it, and what it costs

Plugins, Marketplace, and The Information’s frame

What we still don’t know

Sources

Sources

Markers