OpenAI Releases Dots, Always-On Personal Assistant

OpenAI has entered the AI personal assistant market with its new product, dots, which was released at the company's developer day in late September. According to TechCrunch, this move is part of a larger trend of companies developing always-on AI assistants. Alexander Embiricos, who leads OpenAI's enterprise product team, explained that the goal is to create an intuitive and useful tool for users.

The assistant is available in the ChatGPT desktop and mobile apps and can be connected to various tools to help users manage their work. Embiricos noted that while similar functionality is available through OpenAI's Codex app, dots provides a more streamlined and user-friendly experience. He recalled celebrating when his wife started leaving her computer on all night, allowing her agents to continue working.

The development of dots is part of OpenAI's effort to make its technology more accessible and intuitive for users. Embiricos stated that the company's focus is on framing the product in a way that feels natural and useful, rather than just building new technology. The name 'dots' is intended to feel ubiquitous and is a play on the negative space inside OpenAI's logo.

In testing, the assistant has shown promise in its ability to think ahead and provide useful information to users. However, it is not yet perfect, and Embiricos acknowledged that the timing of its notifications can be improved. He expects the product to continue to evolve and improve over time, with the goal of creating a proactive and helpful assistant.

One of the key features of dots is its ability to collect and use personal data to provide more tailored assistance. Embiricos explained that the product has a feature called 'proactive research,' which allows it to think about what it knows about the user and what it can do to be more helpful. However, this raises concerns about data privacy and the potential for OpenAI to use this data for advertising purposes.

OpenAI says that dots has the same privacy controls as ChatGPT, allowing users to turn off model training and control what resources the agent can access. However, some critics argue that these controls are not granular enough, and the app can be pushy in its requests for access. Embiricos acknowledged that the company needs to build more granular controls and is working to address these concerns.

The long-term viability of AI personal assistants like dots is still uncertain, with questions remaining about their ability to scale and interact with the existing infrastructure of businesses and websites. Embiricos noted that OpenAI is working closely with partners, including payment processors, to develop solutions that will allow AI assistants to interact more seamlessly with the world.