OpenAI is developing an AI ‘operator’ that performs everyday tasks

Open AI is reportedly preparing the launch of a new AI agent, codenamed ‘Operator’, which can perform tasks for users, such as writing code or booking travel.

According to sources familiar with the project, the tool is planned to be released in January as a research version and via the company’s API for developers. The launch is part of a larger trend in the AI industry towards developing agents, AI tools that can perform multi-step tasks with minimal supervision, Bloomberg reports.

Competitor Anthropic has recently launched a similar agent that can handle real-time tasks on the user’s computer. Microsoft, which also supports Open AI, has recently launched AI tools to automate tasks like sending emails and managing documents. Even Google is working on an AI agent, according to data from The Information.

According to three Bloomberg sources, Open AI is working on several research projects related to agents. The most fully developed is a tool that can perform tasks directly in the browser. Open AI CEO Sam Altman has previously described that “the big breakthrough” in AI will be the development of agents.