OpenAI Unveils Operator, a New AI Agent Facing Early Challenges

Operator, available for $200/month, introduces autonomous task handling but struggles with speed, reliability, and privacy concerns.

Operator is OpenAI's latest AI tool designed to perform tasks like grocery shopping, booking rides, and making reservations through web navigation.
The tool uses a Computer-Using Agent (CUA) model powered by GPT-4o, enabling interaction with graphical user interfaces (GUIs) without custom API integrations.
Users and analysts have criticized Operator for slow performance, occasional errors, and reliance on human intervention for complex tasks or troubleshooting.
Privacy concerns have been raised as Operator stores screenshots and user interactions on OpenAI's servers for up to 90 days, though some data-sharing can be disabled by users.
Currently exclusive to U.S.-based ChatGPT Pro subscribers at $200/month, OpenAI plans to expand Operator's availability to lower-tier plans and additional regions later in 2025.