OpenAI Operator in Action: Automate Real-World Tasks

OpenAI has launched their first AI agent called Operator, currently available only to ChatGPT Pro users in the U.S bearing a hefty price tag of $200.

Earlier this week OpenAI also rolled out their Tasks feature and speculations about their Superintelligence has been rife. Let’s understand the capabilities of both ChatGPT Tasks and Operator.

‘Tasks’ is conversational and bounded, while ‘Operator’ unlocks advanced, real-world utility by interacting with external platforms. With these advanced capabilities, let’s understand the hype about OpenAI Operator and if it delivers on its claims.

What does the OpenAI Operator do?

It allows you to save time by assigning a virtual agent to perform tasks on the web; automate your dinner reservations, book concert tickets, upload an image of your grocery list and it will add all of it to the cart and buy it for you. It is capable of using the mouse, scrolling, surfing across websites and emulating the behaviour of a person.

Basically, be hands-free and let it automate your tasks.

Image source: OpenAI

Is OpenAI Operator Safe?

Automation is great, but can ‘Operator’ go off the rails and misuse such autonomy? There are preventive measures OpenAI has claimed to put in place such as confirmation notifications before executing  high-impact tasks, disallowing certain tasks and a ‘watch mode’ for certain sites. But, then again, these are preventive measures and being cautious and not giving absolute reigns to your computer and data is the best practice. 

Image source: OpenAI

The Tech Behind Operator

Operator runs on a model called Computer-Using Agent (CUA). It combines GPT-4o ability to analyse screenshots and browser controls such as mouse and cursor. They have claimed it to be better than Anthropic and DeepMind’s agents and superior across industry benchmarks for agents being able to perform tasks on a computer.

It works with screenshots, limited to the browser interface it is able to view. This helps it to reason with what steps it will take next and modify its behavior depending on the errors and challenges it faces.

It also activates a ‘Take Over’ mode while interacting with password fields and sensitive information to be put in a website. Since, Operator performs tasks in a browser only, in the near future OpenAI wants to leverage these capabilities through an API which will allow developers to build their own apps.

If you ask the model to perform unacceptable tasks, it is trained to stop and ask you for more information or it may cause the model to break down. This prevents it from executing tasks that have external side effects.

Limitations

CUA is far from perfect and its limitations are acknowledged by OpenAI, they’ve said that they don’t expect it to perform reliably in all scenarios all the time.

Neither can it handle highly complex and specialized tasks, you also don’t get unlimited access even though Operator can perform multiple tasks simultaneously, it is still limited to a usage limit that is updated daily.

It can also outright refuse to carry out tasks for security purposes. This curbs the agent from hallucinating, say, it doesn’t use your credit card to directly make an absurd purchase.

OpenAI’s Operator is their boldest move in building agents, but it needs to be refined to do more tasks while ensuring security.

Top 5 Industry Use Cases for ChatGPT Operator

1. E-Commerce & Retail

• Use Case: Personalized Shopping Assistance

  Operators can navigate online stores to compare prices, find specific products, and even place orders.

  • Example: A user asks ChatGPT to order a specific smartphone. The Operator searches multiple e-commerce sites, compares prices, and completes the checkout process.

• Industry Impact: Enhances customer experience, saves time, and drives sales through personalized shopping recommendations.

1. Travel & Hospitality

• Use Case: Booking and Reservations

  ChatGPT Operators can book flights, hotels, or activities by interacting with travel booking websites or APIs.

  • Example: A user requests to book a round-trip flight and a 4-star hotel. The Operator finds the best options, books the trip, and emails the confirmation.

• Industry Impact: Streamlines travel planning and reduces friction in reservation workflows.

1. Healthcare

• Use Case: Appointment Scheduling

  Operators can check doctor availability and book appointments by interacting with healthcare portals.

  • Example: A user asks to book a dentist appointment. The Operator accesses the clinic’s website, reviews available slots, and secures the booking.

• Industry Impact: Simplifies patient interactions, improves accessibility, and reduces administrative workloads for clinics.

1. Financial Services

• Use Case: Financial Management

  Operators can help users pay bills, transfer funds, or track spending through online banking platforms.

  • Example: A user requests ChatGPT to pay a utility bill. The Operator logs into their banking portal, confirms the amount, and completes the transaction.

• Industry Impact: Increases efficiency, reduces human error, and enhances customer satisfaction with self-service options.

1. Entertainment & Event Management

• Use Case: Ticket Booking

  Operators can search for concerts, movies, or sports events, compare seat availability, and purchase tickets.

  • Example: A user wants to buy tickets for a concert. The Operator finds seats, books them, and emails the tickets to the user.

• Industry Impact: Offers seamless booking experiences, driving higher customer engagement and convenience.

Data Storage and Privacy Controls

Your Operator screenshots and content can be accessed by authorized OpenAI employees. Although you can opt out of letting OpenAI use your data for model training, you can’t completely restrict openAI employees from accessing it. It’s best to not let sensitive data slip in their hands.

Operator stores your data for 90 days regardless of you deleting your chats, browsing history and screenshots during the chat. You can change other privacy settings in the Operator’s Privacy and Security settings tab.

OpenAI has been finicky with its data storage practices since the beginning, but if you need to access ChatGPT securely you can consider tools such as Wald.ai, that provide you safe access to multiple AI assistants.

Conclusion

It’ll be interesting to see how Operator performs in comparison to Anthropic’s Computer Use and Google DeepMind’s Mariner.

OpenAI’s collaboration with DoorDash, eBay, Instacart, Priceline, StubHub, and Uber is a testament to complying with service agreements and not acting with complete autonomy.

Once this feature is available with all other plans, it will not only save time for users’ by automating everyday tasks but also change the course of how virtual assistants like Alexa and Siri have been used. Taking it a notch higher, with allowing agents to use the internet by connecting it with your PC and performing tasks for you.

The new wave of AI agents are here, and with further refinements they will inevitably become a daily part of our lives.