OpenAI's Operator AI Agent Expands to More Countries

OpenAI is expanding its Operator AI agent to eight new countries, following its initial launch in the United States back in January. The company shared the news recently, highlighting that this powerful tool will now serve Pro users in Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the UK.

In a post on social media, OpenAI stated, “Operator is now rolling out to Pro users in Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the UK, and most places ChatGPT is available.” While plans are underway for the Operator to be accessible in the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland, a timeline for these releases has yet to be announced.

Notably, accessing the Operator AI agent requires users to subscribe to OpenAI's Pro tier, which is priced at $200 per month. This subscription grants users the ability to utilize this advanced AI tool as part of their workflows.

What is the Operator AI Agent?

Operator is an agentic AI, which means it can act autonomously online instead of just producing text, images, or videos based on user prompts. Unlike regular generative models, Operator can monitor changing conditions in real-time and adapt its actions accordingly. This makes it powerful for a variety of tasks, including transcribing meeting notes, booking travel, and compiling detailed reports.

The app operates on a model termed “Computer-Using Agent” that runs on top of OpenAI's advanced GPT-4o linguistic framework. The company explains that the training process for the Computer-Using Agent was similar to its previous reasoning models. Users can launch Operator directly from the ChatGPT home screen, with the agent functioning on a separate web browser page. Throughout its operations, the agent keeps users informed of its actions and prompts them when specific user input is needed, like entering sensitive information.

However, user experiences with Operator have been mixed. Early testers have reported that the system can sometimes respond slowly and may require frequent user interaction to function effectively. This ongoing debate regarding its efficiency continues among users.

News from OpenAI and Beyond

In related OpenAI news, CEO Sam Altman announced the decision to consolidate its model releases. The previous o3 model will be replaced by a more streamlined GPT-5, which is anticipated for release in the coming months. Meanwhile, in the wider AI landscape, there has been a significant legal case in which Thomson Reuters won a copyright battle against a tech startup that misused its content to create competing AI products.

Additionally, regarding corporate dynamics, Altman shared that OpenAI is not for sale despite an offer for control of the company from a group backed by Elon Musk. Altman acknowledged Musk's ongoing efforts to influence OpenAI’s direction but emphasized the company's commitment to its mission.

As OpenAI continues to innovate, the release of the Operator AI agent marks an exciting development for users worldwide, setting the stage for more robust AI capabilities in everyday tasks.

OpenAI, Operator, AI