OpenAI is officially stepping into the “AI agents” era — and it’s doing it in the most direct way possible: by giving ChatGPT the ability to use a web browser like a human would.
The company just launched a research preview of Operator, a new agent that can open webpages, click buttons, type into fields, scroll, and complete routine online tasks on your behalf. It’s rolling out first to ChatGPT Pro users in the U.S. (the $200/month plan) through operator.chatgpt.com, with plans to expand to Plus, Team, and Enterprise users — and eventually bake it directly into ChatGPT.
What makes Operator feel like a real milestone isn’t the novelty of automation — it’s the interface. Instead of needing special integrations or APIs, Operator works through the same messy, inconsistent web that humans deal with every day. Under the hood, it runs on OpenAI’s Computer-Using Agent (CUA) model, which blends GPT-4o-style vision (so it can “see” what’s on screen) with stronger reasoning trained via reinforcement learning. In practice, that means it can navigate menus, fill out forms, and move through websites without needing the site to be built specifically for it.
OpenAI is positioning Operator as a way to offload the repetitive digital chores people hate: ordering groceries, booking travel, making restaurant reservations, even doing light creative tasks like meme-making. You can also run multiple tasks at once in separate sessions, almost like giving your AI a handful of browser tabs and telling it to get to work.
But OpenAI is also being careful not to overpromise. Operator is explicitly labeled as a research preview, and the limitations are real. It can struggle with complex interfaces, get tripped up by CAPTCHAs, and isn’t reliable yet for certain workflows — OpenAI even notes it currently has trouble with things like creating detailed slideshows or managing intricate calendars. And for sensitive moments — logins, payment info, high-stakes actions — Operator will either ask for confirmation or force a “takeover” where the user steps in. The idea is to prevent the nightmare scenario where an AI confidently clicks the wrong thing and makes it permanent.
Safety is a huge part of the pitch. OpenAI says Operator includes layered protections like confirmation prompts, restrictions on high-risk tasks (like banking), “watch mode” on sensitive sites like email, and systems designed to detect phishing attempts or prompt injection tricks hidden inside webpages. The company is also working with major consumer platforms — including DoorDash, Instacart, OpenTable, Priceline, StubHub, Uber, and others — to make sure Operator fits within real-world expectations and rules.
The bigger takeaway: this is OpenAI’s clearest signal yet that AI isn’t just here to answer questions — it’s here to do things. If Operator works well enough, it changes what ChatGPT is: less of a chatbot you consult, and more of a digital assistant you can actually delegate work to. The next few months will show whether browser agents are truly ready for everyday life… or whether this is still one of those “almost there” ideas that needs another year (or two) of refinement.
This analysis is based on reporting from openai.
Image courtesy of OpenAI.
This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.
