digest
Short Summary
Main recommendation: Try ChatGPT "dots," an always-on AI agent inside ChatGPT that has its own computer and works on an ongoing responsibility you assign, messaging you on its own initiative rather than waiting for prompts. The presenter, who had early access, frames it as the biggest ChatGPT update since its launch, moving from answering questions (chat), to producing finished work (ChatGPT work and Codex), to continuously pursuing goals (dots).
Key Points
- Dots are rolling out gradually, starting with the higher-tier Pro plan ($200/month); a new $500 plan was also mentioned, and they are available in business premium seats and enterprise if an admin enables them.
- Dots are powered by the newer model the presenter calls "ChatGPT6 Astra," and ChatGPT lets you connect to about 4,000 different apps/plugins, with the agent learning from feedback over time.
- Unlike a prompt-response tool, you give a dot a responsibility and it decides the next steps, working around the clock on its own computer so your computer does not need to stay on.
- Dots initiate contact: if you give no instruction, the dot scans its connected accounts and messages you about things it can help with.
- Each user starts with one primary dot, but the company envisions multiple dots working as different agents with separate responsibilities.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Access the new ChatGPT app, find the "Your dot" section under New chat, and name your dot.
- Connect data sources (email, calendar, Google Drive, Slack, plugins) and decide how much access to allow; the more context, the more it can proactively find.
- Optionally grant access to folders or apps on your computer under the settings for computer access.
- Give it a goal and explicit custom rules, such as "Draft anything, but never send or post anything," "Never change the price," and "Anything that could move the launch date comes to me first."
- Drag and drop documents into the chat to give it working material.
- To reduce message volume, tell it to send one daily recap unless something is urgent; it also offered to prioritize only critical items and summarize the rest.
- Use the pause or reset options to control it; reset turns it into a new dot.
- Use the message icon to start a conversation from other websites, and the voice icon for voice commands on desktop or phone.
- The presenter's demo dot found pricing mismatches across documents, flagged contract issues from attachments, found flights on the calendar, and rewrote social posts and an email after noticing problems.
- The dot created its own personal scratch pad of notes for ongoing projects on its own initiative, a feature the presenter expects to show up more in "Spaces."
- The interface did not always show when the dot was actively working, which sometimes made it unclear whether it was doing anything.
Bottom Line
Dots shift AI from a tool you query into a persistent assistant that owns ongoing tasks, but access, approval rules, and message frequency need deliberate setup, and availability is currently limited to higher-priced plans.
