OpenAI Launches Always-On 'Dots' Agents and a $500 ChatGPT Plan at DevDay

Tuesday, 29 September 2026. OpenAI has used its DevDay keynote in San Francisco to launch Dots, always-on AI agents that work across your apps in the background, alongside a $500-a-month ChatGPT Pro plan and a cheaper new model. It is a direct answer to Meta's Muse, which went after small businesses only this morning. Here is what is going on.

Meet Dots: agents that never clock off

Dots are personal AI agents powered by GPT-6 Astra that chase goals across apps with little supervision and learn a user's preferences over time (Reuters, The Verge, TechCrunch).

• Each Dot runs on its own cloud computer with a web browser and access to more than 4,000 supported apps (The Verge).
• They can research and analyse data, draft documents, build software, update a sales proposal when a customer's needs change, or build a working demo for review (Reuters).
• Users can talk to them through ChatGPT on web, desktop and mobile, by voice, or through Slack and Microsoft Teams. Text-message support is coming soon.
• Users can set rules on what a Dot can do and when it must ask. Sensitive actions, such as changing passwords or permanently deleting data, need explicit consent.
• Dots are rolling out from today to ChatGPT Pro and Business Premium users, with one Dot per user for now. OpenAI plans to allow multiple agents and role-specific 'specialist' Dots.

'I feel like I've finally gotten some of my attention back. I no longer feel quite addicted to my phone in the same way,' chief executive Sam Altman said (Business Insider).

The rest of the DevDay haul

• A new $500-a-month ChatGPT Pro plan offering higher usage and OpenAI's fastest modes (Reuters, Bloomberg).
• GPT-6.1 Sol, a cheaper model that is less capable than GPT-6 Astra, arriving a day after OpenAI shelved GPT-6.1 Astra on safety grounds.
• ChatGPT Space, a shared workspace where teams and their Dots can work together.
• OpenAI said it made more than 20 major announcements across ChatGPT, Codex and its models (Business Insider).

The numbers behind the push

• More than 1.2 billion people now use ChatGPT each week (Reuters).
• More than 35 million people use Codex and ChatGPT Work weekly, up from about 5 million Codex users in June (Reuters).
• OpenAI says it does not train on business customers' data by default, and personal users can opt out.

Sources

• Reuters - OpenAI takes on Meta with always-on Dots agent in enterprise AI push
• The Verge - OpenAI launches Dots, its Muse competitor
• TechCrunch - OpenAI launches Dots, its bubbly agentic avatar
• Bloomberg - OpenAI unveils always-on AI agent Dots, new $500 paid tier
• Business Insider - OpenAI just launched its answer to Meta, always-on AI agents called Dots