ChatGPT Now Has an Always-On Agent Called Dots
OpenAI launched dots, an always-on ChatGPT agent, plus a new $500 a month Pro 500 plan, on September 29, 2026.
OpenAI rolled out dots on September 29, 2026: an always-on ChatGPT agent with its own cloud computer and browser, working toward a goal around the clock and reachable from ChatGPT, Slack or Teams. It ships free with Pro and Business Premium, alongside a new $500 a month Pro 500 plan for heavier use.
What shipped
Dots is an always-on agent inside ChatGPT, built on OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra model. Unlike a normal chat that resets when you close it, a dot keeps its own cloud computer and browser and keeps working with the app closed. It plugs into more than 4,000 apps and reaches you through ChatGPT, Slack, or Teams, with texting coming later. The first dot is free with Pro and Business Premium, with a bigger allowance the first month. Enterprise accounts get it as an opt-in beta. Alongside it, OpenAI opened Pro 500 at $500 a month, its highest tier and the only Pro plan with Ultrafast, a faster speed in ChatGPT Work and Codex. Pro 200 reopened at $200 a month too; OpenAI says only that included usage is changing, with an email to anyone affected, while the price holds.
Why an owner should care
A dot's real trick is proactive research: in the background it looks through your connected inbox, calendar or CRM using read-only tools, so it cannot send a message, change a file or take over your screen on its own. Anything past that runs through Custom Rules, which you set to allow, require approval on, or block outright. Changing a password never happens without you. It works more like a quiet employee who reads what you have connected and flags what looks off, without the power to act until you say go.
What it looks like inside a shop, AV or trades first
OpenAI's own example fits this exactly: a tester's dot noticed he had forgotten to invoice a publication, prepared the invoice, and sent it only after he approved it. The same shape fits an AV integrator or any trades shop. A dot watching your calendar, CRM and inbox could notice a change order from three weeks back that never made it onto an invoice, or a service call marked complete that was never billed. It would not touch your books. It would surface the gap, draft the invoice, and wait for your yes.
The same habit works earlier in a job: flag jobs closed without a follow-up, or proposals sitting past two weeks unanswered. It reads and drafts. Contacting anyone still needs your approval.
What to do this week
- On ChatGPT Pro or Business Premium, create your first dot from the desktop app and connect your apps.
- Connect inbox, calendar and CRM only to start, and set Custom Rules so anything past research needs your approval.
- Ask for one pass: unbilled change orders, unfollowed jobs, or an invoice you forgot to send. Read every result before acting.
- On Pro 200, watch your inbox. OpenAI says usage is changing even though the price holds at $200.
Questions owners ask
What is a dot, in plain terms?
An agent version of ChatGPT that keeps its own cloud computer and browser and keeps working on a goal in the background, instead of resetting each time you close the chat.
Can a dot send emails or change anything without me?
Not by default. Its background research uses read-only tools, and Custom Rules decide what needs your approval before it goes beyond looking.
Is this available everywhere?
It is rolling out to eligible Pro and Business Premium users in supported markets, but Pro access excludes the EEA, Switzerland and the UK at launch.
Do I need Pro 500 to use a dot?
No. The first dot comes with Pro and Business Premium. Pro 500 is a separate plan for heavier use and the only one with Ultrafast. If you already compared a shared AI coworker, see how xAI's Team Bots stacked up, and check what AI for AV integrators and smart home companies covers. Source: Introducing dots, OpenAI, September 29, 2026
