Short answer
OpenAI's always-on AI agents, called Dots, can read information from connected sources and save private notes before a user asks for anything. In this proactive mode the agent cannot send messages, change content or control a browser. Background work is therefore limited to reading and note-taking.
Highlights
- Proactive research is read-only: no sending messages, changing content through plugins or controlling a browser.
- Dots launched with the $100-a-month Pro plan and is not offered for Pro in the European Economic Area, Switzerland or the UK.
- Disconnecting an app does not delete memories the dot has already saved.
2 min readEditor-in-chief: Uğur Deniz İlhan
At DevDay, OpenAI unveiled Dots, a personal AI agent that works always on. According to Wired, Dots pulls context from connected apps and carries out tasks on a user's behalf. Search Engine Journal went through the help pages to summarise what the agent can and cannot do when you are not there.
What exactly does proactive research do?
A dot can read information from permitted connected sources and save private notes before any request arrives. According to OpenAI's privacy and safety page, these research tools cannot directly send messages to other people, change content through plugins, or control a browser or computer. Even a user's Custom Rules cannot override those limits. Whatever the agent does next with what it finds is subject to the usual safety checks.
Who can use Dots?
Dots launched for ChatGPT Pro subscribers, who pay $100 a month. According to SEJ, Pro access is rolling out in markets other than the European Economic Area, Switzerland and the UK, while Business Premium users can reach it in all supported regions. Enterprise, Edu and Healthcare workspaces get a beta that is off by default. The sources do not mention Turkey separately.
What should you watch on privacy?
A dot builds its own memory from the connections. Disconnecting an app stops new access but does not erase what has been saved, and users currently cannot view or edit individual memories. A reset deletes conversations, memories and scheduled tasks. Enterprise admins can switch cloud browser, cloud network access and cloud computer use on or off separately.
The source gives no Turkey-specific detail, so what follows is interpretation. Teams that want to try Dots could start by connecting only a low-risk app such as a calendar and observing what gets saved as a memory. Before connecting sources that hold personal data, it is sensible to consult the organisation's data protection lead.
Frequently asked
- Can a dot send an email before you ask?
- Not in proactive research mode: it can only read and take notes. Later actions are subject to OpenAI's action rules and safety checks.
Sources
- Search Engine Journal ·
- Wired ·
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