OpenAI has spent years trying to turn ChatGPT from something that answers questions into something that finishes jobs for you. As of October 2026 that push lives in a few products: ChatGPT Work for long, multistep tasks, a cloud browser that clicks through websites on your behalf, Codex for software work, and Dots, always on agents for Pro and some business customers. The older pieces, Operator, the original ChatGPT agent and the Atlas browser, have been folded in or shut down.
How OpenAI got here
The agent idea is not new at OpenAI. The company’s reasoning models, which started with o1 in 2024, were built to work through a problem in steps instead of answering in one shot. That same ability is what lets a model plan a task, try something, check the result and try again, which is the basic loop behind any AI agent.
The first consumer product built on it was Operator, a research preview that could use a web browser. OpenAI then merged Operator into ChatGPT as agent mode, which ran tasks in a virtual browser and paused for logins and confirmations. In July 2026 the company launched ChatGPT Work and began sunsetting the standalone Atlas browser, which OpenAI scheduled to stop working on August 9, 2026. OpenAI’s help center now says the separate ChatGPT agent is no longer available and points people to Work instead.
| Product | Status in October 2026 | What it was for |
|---|---|---|
| Operator | Folded into ChatGPT, old site closed | Early browser agent preview |
| ChatGPT agent mode | Replaced by ChatGPT Work | Web tasks in a virtual browser |
| Atlas browser | Discontinued, scheduled end August 9, 2026 | Standalone AI web browser |
| ChatGPT Work | Active since July 9, 2026 | Long tasks with finished deliverables |
| Codex | Active, now inside the ChatGPT desktop app | Coding agent for developers |
| Dots | Rolling out since September 29, 2026 | Always on agents with their own cloud computer |
What ChatGPT Work can actually do
Work is built for jobs that take more than one reply. You describe the result you want, pick the apps and files it may use, and it plans the steps and produces the output, following your templates and reference files when you give them. OpenAI says it can keep going on a project for hours.
- Use your apps. Plugins connect ChatGPT to services such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Drive, SharePoint, email, calendars and CRM tools. A single plugin directory replaced the older app directory in July 2026, and you can call a plugin by typing @ and its name.
- Browse for you. On web and mobile, Work can use a cloud browser on a remote computer to read pages, click buttons and fill in forms. OpenAI’s examples include comparing product stock, tracking a package and comparing utility plans.
- Keep running. Cloud browser tasks continue even after you close the chat or your computer, and pause when they need your input.
- Run on a schedule. Recurring tasks are supported, and scheduled tasks can respond to webhooks.
The desktop app adds a built in browser for gathering information and working in web tools, and OpenAI updated its Chrome extension so ChatGPT can sit in the Chrome sidebar.
Codex and Dots
Codex is OpenAI’s coding agent. In July 2026 the Codex desktop app merged into a new unified ChatGPT desktop app with three modes, Chat, Work and Codex, and Codex kept its own view and history. Codex Cloud, added in late September, lets you start coding tasks from desktop, web or mobile.
Dots, announced at OpenAI’s DevDay on September 29, 2026, are the most ambitious step so far. Each Dot is an always on agent with its own cloud computer that you give a goal and let keep working. It learns your preferences from feedback, and actions that could touch accounts or share information go through an automatic review first. Dots started rolling out to ChatGPT Pro and Business Premium, with one agent included. Pro subscribers in the EEA, Switzerland and the UK are not included yet, and Enterprise workspaces can try a beta once an admin enables it.
Which plan you need
Chat, Work and Codex in the desktop app with limited use. No cloud browser on web or mobile.
Work on desktop, web and mobile, plus Codex.
Longer Work and Codex sessions, higher limits and access to Dots.
Admin controls over who can use what, with usage limits set per workspace or group.
Work is billed by how much effort a task takes, using the same usage system as Codex, so a big research project uses more of your allowance than a quick lookup.
Where the agents still fall short
Agents are better than they were, but they are not hands off. Websites can block automated browsers, and that choice belongs to the site, not OpenAI. Some tasks still need you to take over or complete the final step yourself, and OpenAI has said Work does not include restaurant reservation search. The models can also make mistakes or misread a page, so the output deserves the same check you would give a new assistant’s first draft.
FAQ
Is ChatGPT agent mode still available?
No. OpenAI’s help center says the ChatGPT agent is no longer available and directs users to ChatGPT Work and its cloud browser for multistep tasks.
Can I still use the Atlas browser?
No. OpenAI deprecated Atlas in July 2026 and scheduled it to stop working on August 9, 2026. Browsing features moved into the ChatGPT desktop app and the Chrome extension.
Can free users try ChatGPT Work?
Yes, in the ChatGPT desktop app for Mac and Windows, with limited usage. Work on web and mobile requires a paid plan.
Will an agent buy things without asking?
It should not. ChatGPT asks for confirmation in the chat before consequential actions such as payments or bookings, and you can stop a task at any point.
The verdict
OpenAI’s agent push has moved from experiments to an everyday feature. ChatGPT Work is the product to use in October 2026, Codex covers developers, and Dots hint at agents that run in the background. They save real time on research, forms and drafts, but you still need to sign in, approve the important steps and check the result.
Updated October 2026: rewritten as a current guide to OpenAI’s agent products, covering ChatGPT Work, the cloud browser, Codex, Dots and the retired Operator, agent mode and Atlas.
Featured photo: Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash.
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