January 24, 2025 – According to recent reports from TechCrunch, OpenAI is on the verge of releasing a new AI feature called “Operator”. This innovative functionality, which is expected to arrive soon, will initially be offered as an early research preview to users subscribed to the $200 Pro plan.
The discovery of this upcoming feature was made by X user Choi, who stumbled upon related updates in the ChatGPT code library. Additionally, traces of Operator can be found on the OpenAI official website.
Repeated mentions of the URL “operator.chatgpt.com” were spotted in the code, although currently, the link redirects to ChatGPT’s main page.
A new pop-up window informs users that if they wish to try out Operator, they will need to upgrade to the Pro plan. The message reads: “The Operator is currently only providing an early research preview to Pro users.”
On the comparison page for Plus and Pro subscription plans, OpenAI lists “Access to Operator Research Preview” as an additional perk for Pro subscribers.
Previous reports suggest that Operator will serve as a versatile AI agent capable of automatically performing tasks such as coding, web browsing, and travel bookings. Furthermore, traces of Operator have also been found in the macOS version of ChatGPT, allowing users to toggle between functionalities using shortcuts within the app.
Operator utilizes macOS’s accessibility API to interact with screen content and builds upon existing ChatGPT features like reading and analyzing code from developer tools like VS Code and Xcode. Unlike current features that require user input, Operator aims to execute tasks independently.
According to a recent report from The Information, OpenAI might officially launch Operator this week. Today’s code updates indicate that Operator is nearly ready for public release.
It is anticipated that Operator will run directly on the ChatGPT website rather than controlling the user’s local computer. This suggests that OpenAI might operate a web browser on its server, executing tasks on behalf of the user.
