OpenAI’s Dot Agent: The Versatile Tool That Handles Business Tasks and Dinner Orders

OpenAI has rolled out its latest agent platform, Dots, featuring adorable little avatars ready to assist you. However, unlike the user-friendly Meta Muse, Dots feels more like a work tool that can also help you order a burrito—definitely leaning into the work aspect.

Earlier this week, OpenAI introduced Dots, which come with customizable names and charming, blobby avatars. Currently, you can only have one Dot, but the plan is to allow multiple in the future. I decided to name mine Dotty McDotface.

The interface resembles that of Muse, with a chat window for interacting with the agent and another for monitoring its actions on a virtual machine. However, Dots function more like colleagues than personal shoppers, even though they can assist with purchases. Your Dot can access applications like Blender and GIMP right away, and you can connect it to your own computer via the desktop ChatGPT app. If you need to think things through, you can even call your Dot. OpenAI is initially offering Dots to users on its premium accounts, including the $100-per-month Pro plan I signed up for to test it. In contrast, Muse and its rival Instinct are currently free, at least until they potentially start serving ads.

I’ve been experimenting with various AI agents for everyday tasks, with mixed results, so I was eager to see how Dots would perform. Despite its more corporate feel, OpenAI claims Dots “can do nearly anything” with its cloud computing capabilities, so I decided to put it to the test with some straightforward tasks.

First, I asked Dot to schedule an installation appointment for a new internet service provider at my home. It almost succeeded, even locating a $100 promotional discount in my email that I had previously deleted, but it hit a snag at a “human check.” This is a significant hurdle for a bot. Dot explained, “This particular check needs a sustained mouse hold that my browser controls don’t support. Please open my browser here and hold ‘Press & Hold’ until it completes, then tell me and I’ll continue with installation dates.” I complied, but it felt a bit like being asked by some teens outside a convenience store to buy them drinks.

With my human intervention, Dot made it to the checkout screen, where it requested my bank account details. Unlike Muse, there’s no seamless payment integration to save your credit card info for quick checkouts. The new provider required my bank account to secure a $5 monthly discount. Dot paused for me to enter the numbers into the virtual browser, but I didn’t feel comfortable sharing my checking account number and opted to handle it myself. Not the best start.

I assigned Dot a few more personal tasks, and the outcomes were hit or miss. It failed to find a free tour option at a coworking space I wanted to check out, instead suggesting a $35 day pass. In contrast, Instinct’s agent quickly located the trial option and set up an appointment. Afterward, I asked Dot why it missed that option. It replied, “I jumped to the wrong conclusion.” I ended the call.

Later, I tasked Dot with retrieving information from my Ikea account about a hanging planter I purchased. It couldn’t log in due to a looping security check. Additionally, Dot was blocked from the ordering page of a local teriyaki restaurant. It seems Dot struggles with security checks more than Muse or Instinct, offering a link to OpenAI’s page explaining why some websites block its cloud browser traffic. This resulted in more manual input and browser takeovers than I experienced with other AI agents, likely because it wasn’t specifically designed for ordering teriyaki or managing Ikea returns.

I found Dot to be most effective when I granted it access to my personal website, which is in dire need of an update. I asked Dot to create a new, streamlined design. After discussing the changes I wanted over a 10-minute call, I walked away to do some chores, only to receive a notification that the new version was ready for review. It wasn’t perfect, but it was an improvement. AI tends to shine when given a substantial dataset (like my rambling) to work with. I continued to iterate with Dot, chatting in a browser window while using voice-to-text on my phone as I tidied up.

Dot became even more useful once I connected it to my computer. I assigned it two tasks: to compile several video files from a TV appearance into a single clip suitable for social media and to implement the changes we discussed on my website. I had to grant it numerous permissions, but it executed the tasks successfully. I watched as it navigated the website backend, reconstructing the prototype piece by piece. I stepped away from the computer and received updates on the ChatGPT app on my phone—the video clip was ready for review, which I enjoyed with a coffee. It was the most “Silicon Valley” moment I’ve ever experienced.

I could have figured out how to compile those clips myself, and I did initially, but the result was clunky and too large for social media. Dot produced a much cleaner version in minutes. It also handled the website update, resulting in a basic design that is a significant upgrade from the outdated version I had been using. Kudos to Dotty McDotface.

Thinking of Dot as “Codex for regular people” makes it more relatable—a cute little blob that can manage parts of your work while you focus on other tasks. While personal AI agents like Muse feel like enhanced autofill tools or universal shopping carts, Dot seems to signal a new era of work.

Since it’s a paid service, it likely won’t face the same monetization pressures as Muse and Instinct, which is a plus for enterprise software. Nobody wants to be interrupted by AI while they’re working—assuming your tasks are compatible with what AI can assist with, and you trust OpenAI to handle them. There are significant caveats!

It helped me tackle tasks that I might have otherwise procrastinated on, which is quite useful. However, I’m not convinced it’s worth $100 a month for my line of work. I can see how it would be more beneficial for someone like a friend who is launching a new business.

In the end, with a little help logging into my Uber Eats account, Dot did manage to order my teriyaki after all.