# OpenAI Dots: What They Are and How They Compare

> OpenAI launched dots at DevDay on Sept 29, 2026: always-on GPT-6 Astra agents with their own cloud computer. What they do, who gets them, how they compare.

- Author: Nitish Garg, Founder & CEO, CellCog
- Published: 2026-09-29
- Canonical (HTML): https://cellcog.ai/blog/openai-dots/
- Section: Guides / Choosing a platform
- Publisher: CellCog (https://cellcog.ai), the AI employee platform. Blog index for agents: https://cellcog.ai/blog/llms.txt

## Key points

- OpenAI launched dots at DevDay on September 29, 2026: always-on agents powered by GPT-6 Astra that OpenAI says are built to handle everything.
- Each dot has its own cloud computer and browser, learns from feedback over time, can work toward your goals around the clock, and connects to over 4,000 apps through OpenAI's plugins.
- You reach a dot in ChatGPT on desktop, web and mobile, in Slack and Teams, or by voice call; texting is coming soon. Your own laptop stays separate unless you connect it.
- Dots start with built-in rules for when to act and when to ask. Custom Rules let you allow, require approval for, or block specific actions, and some tasks, such as changing a password, always stay with you.
- Dots are rolling out to ChatGPT Pro and Business Premium users in eligible markets, with the first dot included at no extra cost. Enterprise, Edu and Healthcare get a beta that admins must turn on.
- Today each person starts with one primary dot. Teams of dots are something OpenAI says it envisions over time, and specialist dots with their own identity are in focused enterprise pilots.

## At a glance

- **What are OpenAI dots?** Always-on agents in ChatGPT, powered by GPT-6 Astra, each with its own cloud computer and browser, that work on your goals in the background and connect to over 4,000 apps.
- **Who can use dots?** ChatGPT Pro and Business Premium users in eligible markets from September 29, 2026, with the first dot included. Enterprise, Edu and Healthcare workspaces get a beta that is off by default.
- **What is the one caveat to carry?** OpenAI says dots can still make mistakes and asks people to always review consequential work. Teams of dots are a plan, not a shipped feature.

OpenAI has entered the always-on agent race. At DevDay on September 29, 2026, it introduced dots: "Dots are remarkably capable, always-on agents built to handle everything." OpenAI's announcement post went up on X at 17:19 UTC, sixteen minutes after a teaser that read "Your dot is ready to meet you."

Dots arrive three weeks after Meta's [Muse](https://cellcog.ai/blog/what-is-muse/) and a day after SpaceXAI opened [Team Bots](https://cellcog.ai/blog/grok-team-bots/) for [Grok Bot](https://cellcog.ai/blog/what-is-grok-bot/). This page is read from OpenAI's own announcement and DevDay recap.

## What OpenAI says a dot does

In OpenAI's words: "Dots can do nearly anything using their own cloud computer, their own browser, and the apps you've connected." Each dot runs on GPT-6 Astra, learns from feedback, can work toward your goals around the clock, and connects to over 4,000 apps through OpenAI's plugins.

You can open a dot's computer at any time to see its work, and give it permission to use your own laptop. A dot can run several projects at once, and when you are not working with it, it does what OpenAI calls "proactive research" using read-only tools on the apps you have connected.

OpenAI's examples range from a developer's dot that turns customer feedback into tested pull requests, to a content creator's dot that cuts clips and drafts social posts from a new transcript for approval.

## Where you reach it, and who controls it

You message or call a dot in ChatGPT on desktop, web and mobile, or message it in Slack and Teams, with texting coming soon. Dots keep context across all of those channels.

Control runs through rules. Dots start with built-in rules for when to act and when to ask; Custom Rules let you allow, require approval for, or block specific actions; and an auto-review step checks actions that could affect your accounts. Some things never move: "Certain sensitive tasks, such as changing a password, always stay with you." Saved passwords can sign a dot into supported sites without exposing them to the model.

OpenAI's own caveat is plain: "Dots can still make mistakes, so always review consequential work."

## Who gets dots, and what they cost

"Your first dot is included in your Pro or Business Premium plan at no extra cost," OpenAI says. Dots are rolling out in ChatGPT to Pro and Business Premium users in eligible markets; Enterprise, Edu and Healthcare workspaces get a beta that an admin has to turn on. Conversations with a dot do not count toward ChatGPT usage limits, but tasks it starts in Codex or ChatGPT Work do.

Setup starts in the ChatGPT desktop app or a desktop browser; after that, you can message your dot from the mobile app. OpenAI says you will later be able to add more dots and pay for more speed or more work per dot.

## One dot today, teams later

Today each person starts with one primary dot and names it. Teams are a plan: "Over time, we envision teams of dots working together on your behalf." Separately, OpenAI is piloting specialist dots with enterprises, each with its own identity and credentials for a defined job, and is working with Microsoft to bring them into Agent 365.

## How dots compare

*Table: Always-on agents compared, from each maker's own pages*

| | OpenAI dots | Grok Bot | Meta Muse | CellCog AI employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer | Its own cloud computer per dot | One cloud computer per user, shared by all their Bots | Its own Secure VM | Its own secure VM and file system, plus its own browser identity and logins, per employee |
| Where you reach it | ChatGPT, Slack, Teams, voice; texting soon | Grok Bot apps on desktop and mobile | Muse apps, muse.ai, WhatsApp | Chat, its own email inbox, its own phone number, meetings |
| Approvals | Built-in rules, Custom Rules, auto-review | Asks when something needs approval | Checks before sensitive actions | Anything above the level you set waits for you |
| Teams | One primary dot; teams planned | Team Bots in public beta since Sept 28 | Personal agent | Employees form teams and manage each other |
| Who can get it | ChatGPT Pro and Business Premium | Bundled into Cursor and SuperGrok plans | Free with limits, plus paid plans | Anyone; try it free, no credit card needed |

If you already live in ChatGPT and pay for Pro, a dot is the natural place to start: it sits next to your chats, runs on OpenAI's strongest model and reaches OpenAI's plugin catalog. The difference to weigh is shape. A dot is one agent that works on your behalf today, while CellCog is built around several AI employees that each own a role and report to each other.

## What is not established yet

- **Markets.** OpenAI says eligible markets but the list sits on its help center, not the announcement.
- **Pricing for more dots.** Extra dots and more work per dot are promised, not priced.
- **Teams of dots.** Envisioned, not shipped.
- **Independent tests.** No third party has published results on dots yet.

## What we are watching

- Help center and system card details on limits and markets.
- The first price for additional dots.
- Whether teams of dots ship, and how they share a computer.

## Where CellCog sits

Our conflict, declared: we build CellCog, a platform where businesses hire AI employees, so dots are a direct competitor. The table uses each maker's own words, and our [DevDay record](https://cellcog.ai/blog/openai-devday-2026/) covers the rest of what OpenAI shipped.

## Sources

- OpenAI, [Introducing dots](https://openai.com/index/introducing-dots/), September 29, 2026, read in a browser 17:28 UTC.
- OpenAI, [DevDay 2026 Recap](https://openai.com/index/devday-2026-recap/), September 29, 2026.
- OpenAI on X, [announcement, September 29, 17:19 UTC](https://x.com/OpenAI/status/2104984504133918973) and [teaser, 17:03 UTC](https://x.com/OpenAI/status/2104980481876070819).
- Our records on [Grok Bot](https://cellcog.ai/blog/what-is-grok-bot/), [Team Bots](https://cellcog.ai/blog/grok-team-bots/) and [Muse](https://cellcog.ai/blog/what-is-muse/), each read from the maker's own pages.

## FAQ

**When did OpenAI launch dots?**

At DevDay on September 29, 2026. OpenAI posted a teaser on X at 17:03 UTC and the announcement at 17:19 UTC, alongside its Introducing dots page.

**What model do dots run on?**

GPT-6 Astra, per OpenAI. The same DevDay also released GPT-6.1 Sol in the API, but OpenAI says dots are powered by Astra.

**Do dots cost extra?**

Your first dot is included in a Pro or Business Premium plan at no extra cost, with an allowance for deeper work. OpenAI says you will later be able to add more dots and buy more speed or monthly work per dot.

**How are dots different from Grok Bot?**

Each dot works on its own cloud computer, per OpenAI. SpaceXAI's Grok Bot docs say one cloud computer is assigned per user and shared by all of that user's Bots. Both keep approvals for sensitive actions.

**Where does CellCog fit?**

CellCog is our product: AI employees that each own a role, run on their own secure VM with its own file system and browser identity, have their own inbox and can hold a phone number, and form teams that manage each other. The conflict is declared on this page.

## Related

- [What Is Grok Bot? Cost Per Month and Who It Is For](https://cellcog.ai/blog/what-is-grok-bot/index.md)
- [What Is Muse? Meta's Personal AI Agent on Its Own Secure Computer, Explained](https://cellcog.ai/blog/what-is-muse/index.md)
- [OpenAI DevDay 2026: Everything OpenAI Announced](https://cellcog.ai/blog/openai-devday-2026/index.md)
- [What Is an AI Employee? The 5-Part Test for a Standing AI Worker](https://cellcog.ai/blog/what-is-an-ai-employee/index.md)

## The AI employee for this read

[AI Executive Assistant](https://cellcog.ai/ai-employees/ai-executive-assistant): Runs the inbox and the calendar, drafts the replies, and hands you the decisions.

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