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What is
OpenAI's Dot?

For people who have hardly used an AI assistant
No. 35How AI WorksPart 6 of 14
1

In one sentence

Like hiring a remote assistant who never clocks out. It has its own computer. You hand it a job, it keeps working on it by itself, and it comes back to ask you when a decision is yours to make.

2

How it differs
from ordinary
AI chat

BEFORE
Like an information desk: you ask, it answers
The moment you walk away, everything stops, and next time you start from scratch
NOW
Like an assistant: you give a goal, and it pushes it forward itself
It keeps working while you sleep and leaves the result on your desk the next day

In plain words: before, you pushed it along. Now it pushes the work along.

3

How it
gets work done

① You hand it a jobTell it what you want the way you'd normally talk
② It gets to workOn its own computer it looks things up, opens web pages and writes
?
③ It asks before big thingsIf it would spend money or send something for you, it stops and waits for your nod
④ It shows you the resultWhen done it lays the result out, and remembers whatever you change
4

What people
use it for

Morning briefingSorts out your day before you get up
Spots a missing invoicePrepares it and only sends it once the owner approves
Recalculates on new dataCharts and conclusions update, with the changes marked
Investigates reported problemsA coworker mentions it in the group chat and it starts digging
Tidies interview transcriptsPicks the good parts and drafts something for you to edit
Reminders on timeSay the word and it nudges you at the right moment
5

A few things
it won't do

It won't touch your own computer unless you tap "Allow" It has its own computer, and yours is kept separate by default. Things like changing a password always have to be done by you personally. When it browses through material on its own, it only looks: it sends no messages and changes nothing.
6

How to
turn it on

Who gets it: ChatGPT Pro members and some enterprise plans. The first Dot costs nothing extra, and it's rolling out in batches
Where to set it up: In ChatGPT on a computer, follow the guide and give it a name. Once it's made, you can chat with it on your phone too
Give it keys: Choose which apps it can see, such as email and calendar
Set the rules: For each kind of task, pick one of four levels: just do it / do it only if you've named it / ask me first / leave it to me
⚠ Don't hand over all the keys at once. It remembers what it has seen, and taking a key back won't erase that. Only resetting the whole Dot clears it.
Will it make decisions
for me on its own?
By default it asks you first on anything important, and you decide what it may do alone. But it can make mistakes, so look over important results before you rely on them.
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