OpenAI launches ‘dots,’ personal AI assistant ‘built to handle everything’

OpenAI has launched an “always-on” personal AI assistant designed to manage tasks ranging from restaurant bookings to website design.

The AI giant’s release of “dots” on Tuesday marked the latest addition to the growing field of virtual assistants billed as a solution for busy people wishing to cut down on their hectic workloads.

The launch comes after Meta’s release of AI assistant Muse earlier this month, and Google’s unveiling of Gemini Spark in May.

In its announcement of the release, OpenAI said dots were “built to handle everything”, with each personal agent capable of working on a user’s goals autonomously around the clock.

“The magic of dots is when they bring you work done the way you would do it, sometimes before you even think to ask,” the San Francisco-based company said.

“With dots alongside you, ambitious ideas and projects you haven’t had the time or support to pursue start to feel achievable.”

OpenAI said the virtual assistants, which are powered by its latest AI model GPT‑6 Astra, can be connected to more than 4,000 apps, including workplace tools Slack and Teams, to enable them to carry out tasks on the user’s behalf.

The ChatGPT creator said dots features additional safety and privacy safeguards that build on protections in its AI models, including a “read-only” mode that prevents agents from controlling a user’s browser or computer when he or she is not present.

OpenAI’s launch of dots comes as the company and other AI firms are at the centre of a raging debate about how to maximise the benefits of AI without exposing humanity to catastrophic risks.

OpenAI was among six tech giants that joined an accord on AI standards announced on Tuesday by United States President Donald Trump, who has rebuffed calls for government regulation of the frontier technology.

Under the voluntary accord, the bosses of OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, xAI and Nvidia pledged to implement “robust” internal controls for their AI models and partner with external auditors to ensure safeguards are working as intended.

On Monday, OpenAI, which is under scrutiny over a series of hacking incidents involving its AI agents, said it would not proceed with the release of its newest model, GPT-6.1 Astra, after identifying safety issues during in-house testing.