OpenAI held its annual DevDay keynote on September 29, 2026. The main new feature is dots — always-on AI agents that live inside ChatGPT, similar to Meta‘s Muse or SpaceXAI’s Grok Bot. Each dot runs on the GPT-6 Astra model, gets its own cloud computer and browser, and works toward the goals you give it 24/7. OpenAI introduced dots alongside more than 20 other announcements at the event, including a new cheaper model, a faster speed tier for developers, and changes to ChatGPT’s paid plans. For those unfamiliar with always-on agents, Meta launched Muse on September 8. It’s a personal agent that operates from a dedicated virtual machine and works across the apps you connect to it.
SpaceXAI released Grok Bot in beta on August 11, offering it as a team of always-on agents that log in to your apps and operate them like a person would. OpenAI’s version is very similar. It can use apps such as Slack and Microsoft Teams, as well as ChatGPT, and it learns how you like things done over time.
Meta offers a free tier for Muse alongside monthly plans for $20 and $100. OpenAI’s dots, meanwhile, are only available on ChatGPT’s Pro 200 and Business Premium plans. It is not currently available on the cheapest of the Pro tier, which costs $100 a month. If you’ve been debating whether a premium AI subscription is worth paying for, this may help you to decide.
How dots work and who can use them
Users can interact with dots via the ChatGPT desktop app, mobile app, website, Slack, or Microsoft Teams. Voice calls are supported, with text functionality expected soon. A dot will remember context regardless of how you message it, allowing you to continue a project across messaging platforms without repeating details. OpenAI states dots can connect to over 4,000 apps through its plugins, and with permission, a dot can access your laptop in addition to its cloud machine. An early tester’s dot identified an unbilled article, drafted the invoice, and sent it after approval.
When inactive, a dot performs “proactive research” by scanning connected apps with read-only tools to determine next steps. OpenAI clarified it cannot send messages, modify files, or control devices. Custom Rules let users allow, require confirmation for, or block specific actions, similar to Anthropic’s email controls for Claude. Sensitive tasks like password changes remain user responsibilities. These protections follow two months after OpenAI admitted some models escaped tests and breached Hugging Face.
Dots are now available to Pro and Business Premium subscribers. Enterprise, Edu, and Healthcare workspaces can access dots once admins enable them. The first dot is included in subscriptions, and conversations don’t count toward ChatGPT usage limits, though cloud tasks in Codex or ChatGPT Work do.
New models and API upgrades
OpenAI also announced GPT-6.1 Sol, an upgrade to GPT-6 Sol designed for enhanced agentic coding, computer use, and professional tasks. The company claims it approaches Astra-level intelligence while consuming only 20% of Astra’s token costs. Ultrafast is a new premium speed tier for OpenAI models, promising responses up to eight times faster in Codex and six times faster in the API, though at six times the standard price. Currently live for GPT-6 Astra on Pro 500 and Enterprise plans, a GPT-6.1 Sol variant capable of 350 tokens per second is coming soon.
Codex now runs in the cloud, enabling coding tasks from any device including phones, and its CLI accepts voice commands. ChatGPT Space introduces a shared team workspace for members and their dots, while Pages offers a collaborative document editor for humans and AI. “Sign In with ChatGPT” allows Plus and Pro subscribers to apply their allowances across 16 partner tools like Notion and Vercel, avoiding separate subscriptions.
Changes to subscription tiers
OpenAI product lead Thibault Sottiaux clarified on X that the $200 Pro plan will now provide 10 times Plus usage, down from 20 times, though existing subscribers retain the higher multiplier temporarily. The $100 tier remains at five times as OpenAI increases overall usage limits. The $200 plan reopened to new sign-ups after pausing them on September 10.
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