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After declaring that 2025 will be the year of AI agents, OpenAI’s announcement of a new feature called Operator predictably followed. Think of the Operator as an AI agent that can use your computer for you – handling real-world tasks by interacting with websites like humans do every day.
Before we get too excited, it’s worth remembering that the agent GPT experience has arguably gone backward in many ways. Most answers are currently generated with random bold text without reason, and the results feel even more generic and robotic. Worst of all, it appears to ignore your preferences and do whatever it wants.
With a few challenges ahead and the world’s attention distracted by DeepSeek, can the new OpenAI Operator agent live up to the hype? Let’s find out.
Key Takeaways
- OpenAI’s Operator handles real-world tasks by using websites like a human.
- While the Operator offers automation for tasks like online shopping and booking reservations, it struggles with complex workflows.
- The service is currently limited to ChatGPT Pro users in the U.S. which costs $200 per month.
- The operator is restricted from accessing Reddit and YouTube, limiting its real-world usability.
- Competition in AI automation intensifies, with Google, Microsoft, and Anthropic developing similar AI agents.
- The Operator remains an unfinished product, and many users may find cheaper open-source alternatives more practical.
What Is OpenAI’s Operator?
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Function | AI agent that automates web-based tasks |
| Capabilities | Browsing websites, filling forms, making purchases, booking reservations |
| Automation | Performs repetitive online tasks like shopping, travel planning, and customer service interactions |
| Limitations | Struggles with complex workflows, requires frequent human intervention |
| Website access | Restricted from major sites like Reddit and YouTube |
| User availability | Currently, it is only available to ChatGPT Pro users in the U.S. |
| Pricing | $200 per month |
| Competitors | Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, Meta |
| Safety measures | Confirmation prompts for critical actions, monitoring for prompt injections, and moderation models |
| Current status | Early-stage product with limited real-world reliability |
OpenAI describes the Operator as “an agent that can go to the web to perform tasks for you.” The goal is to move beyond simple chatbot conversations into full AI-powered task automation.
Understanding how to use OpenAI’s Operator requires a shift in thinking from traditional AI interactions to a more autonomous digital assistant.
It can visually process web pages, click buttons, type in fields, and perform online actions like a human user would. OpenAI claims this could transform how people complete repetitive digital tasks, from ordering groceries to booking travel and making online reservations.
The Operator is currently only available to ChatGPT Pro users in the United States, with a hefty $200 monthly price tag.
But is it as good as OpenAI claims it to be?
Capabilities & Limitations of OpenAI’s Operator
Users can direct the Operator to automatically visit websites, search for information, make purchases, and even handle simple customer service interactions.
If you are looking for inspiration. OpenAI has highlighted tasks such as planning vacations, booking restaurant reservations, and managing online shopping as examples of what the feature can accomplish.
Early tests suggest that while the tool has impressive potential, it still struggles with certain complexities. You can order an item from Amazon, book a restaurant reservation, and even configure domain name settings; however, the agent still needs supervision. But frequent intervention requests mean you are not saving time, so what problem are we solving here?
Another limitation is that the Operator is restricted from accessing certain websites, including Reddit, YouTube, and The New York Times.
So, while it can function well on OpenAI’s partnered sites, its broader web capabilities are questionable.
Ironically, humans and AI still share a familiar nemesis – CAPTCHA codes. No matter how advanced AI gets, those squiggly letters and traffic light quizzes remain a stubborn obstacle, tripping up humans and Operators alike. It turns out that even in the age of AI agents, proving you’re not a robot is still a problem.
The AI Agent Future & the Growing Competition
The Operator’s launch is part of a push toward AI-driven automation. OpenAI is not alone in this space. Anthropic, a competing AI company backed by Amazon and Google, has already developed similar AI-powered agents under its Claude brand.
In an October interview, Anthropic’s Chief Science Officer Jared Kaplan described its AI’s capabilities: “The tool can use computers in basically the same way we do. It can do tasks with tens or even hundreds of steps.”
Make no mistake, the competition in AI automation is heating up, with Google, Microsoft, and Meta all investing heavily in their AI agents. OpenAI’s Operator is just one of many emerging tools that aim to change how people interact with technology.
Is Operator Worth the $200 a Month?
One of the most controversial aspects of Operator’s launch is its high cost. It is significantly more expensive at $200 per month than other AI-powered tools. This price point is difficult to justify for casual users, especially given that many of the Operator’s tasks can be completed faster manually.
The majority of early adopters agree that the Operator feels like an unfinished product. Another concern is whether the Operator’s partnerships with specific platforms, such as Instacart and OpenTable, have created hidden incentives.
If OpenAI has financial agreements with significant websites that grant the Operator special backend access, it raises questions about whether the demos reflect real-world performance.
If the AI operates under conditions the average user won’t experience, its capabilities could be overstated.
If you look behind the curtain, critical thinking is more important than unquestioningly trusting everything AI says. Questioning what’s being demonstrated and considering how the tool might function in uncontrolled environments is vital, but the answers to these questions remain uncertain.
The good news is that anyone interested in experimenting with the technology can save $200 and check out one of the open-source projects offering many of the same capabilities.
You don't need to pay $200 for AI.
We're launching Open Operator – an open source reference project that shows how easy it is to add web browsing capabilities to your existing AI tool.
It's early, slow, and might not work everywhere. But it's free and open source! ???? pic.twitter.com/xpop1sVpKh
— Paul Klein IV (@pk_iv) January 24, 2025
The Future of AI Agents
In 2024, it was revealed that bots compose 42% of overall web traffic. It’s easy to get outraged in arguments online with bots pushing your buttons to increase engagement. More recently, Meta was forced to quietly remove the AI-powered profiles it added to Facebook and Instagram after a backlash from users. But bots look set to tighten their grip on our world.
AI agents will manage entire workflows, eliminating the need for human oversight around scheduling, document processing, and customer interactions. However, it will require unprecedented levels of trust at the expense of human labor.
For now, the Operator remains an expensive, limited tool better suited for early adopters willing to experiment with AI-driven automation.
Sure, the technology behind the Operator is promising, but it is still more of a concept than a truly indispensable AI tool. Those who sign up for it today are paying for an experiment rather than a polished product.
OpenAI’s Operator is laying the foundation for a world where automation isn’t an add-on – it’s the default. AI agents won’t just assist but act on our behalf, navigating the web, making decisions, and handling interactions that once required human effort.
Refinement is inevitable, but most users are better off waiting for improvements before considering adding another expensive subscription.
The Bottom Line
As AI agents become more capable, they raise uncomfortable questions. Who controls these digital assistants? How do they shape our choices? And if machines make purchases, set appointments, and answer emails, who is really in charge?
Leaving a meeting and casually saying to your colleague, “I’ll get my AI to talk to your AI,” might sound incredibly cool, but how long will it be until they question the value you bring?
Welcome to the brave new world where bots work, shop, and drive conversations online. But the bigger question is, what part will humans play in this future?
