DEEP DIVE

OpenAI's New Agent: A Glimpse into the Future of Work

After much anticipation, OpenAI has launched Operator, an AI agent built to handle repetitive tasks.

Picture an assistant capable of booking your flights, filling out forms, purchasing gifts, and even navigating complex web workflows - all while you supervise or step in as needed. This isn't a far-off idea. Operator offers this functionality today, leveraging its own browser to mimic human-like actions in real time.

In addition to Operator’s announcement, Perplexity also launched their agent this week: Perplexity’s Assistant for Android devices. It’s free and allows users to set reminders, send messages, play media, or book rides through app integrations.

All major players are working on their versions of AI agents, and given the popularity of ChatGPT, I will focus on Operator today.

Why Operator Matters

Operator shifts the paradigm from simply answering questions to completing tasks. It has access to tools and can act autonomously. For example, tasks like researching flights or booking a reservation - each often requiring 15–20 minutes of clicking and navigating - can be completed simultaneously in just minutes.

Looking back at the rapid adoption and impact of ChatGPT since its launch two years ago, it’s clear how quickly AI technology evolves. As Operator develops, its potential utility will only grow, making this an exciting development for businesses and individuals alike.

What It Can Do

Here’s a quick overview of Operator’s key features:

• Autonomous Web Navigation: Operator can browse websites, fill out forms, and complete transactions. Use cases highlighted by OpenAI include booking flights, reserving tables at restaurants, or automating repetitive online tasks.

• Workflow Automation: Users can save workflows and run them as needed to handle recurring tasks, such as updating a sales spreadsheet or checking inventory.

• Multi-Workflow Management: Several workflows can be run simultaneously, streamlining time-intensive processes (at least until you reach your daily limit, which happened with me on Saturday ☺️).

• Real-Time Oversight: Operator’s actions can be monitored in real time, allowing users to step in when necessary. This provides a layer of control, particularly for sensitive or complex tasks.

• Session Sharing: Every task generates a session video, enabling users to review or share workflows with colleagues, supporting collaboration and transparency.

Operator is truly autonomous, but prompting still matters. Based on early results, more comprehensive prompts tend to yield better outcomes.

Challenges to Overcome

Despite its potential, Operator isn’t perfect. During testing, the agent occasionally misclicked, struggled with unfamiliar websites, or deleted spreadsheet content, requiring human intervention to correct errors. It also avoids handling sensitive data, like payment details, which means users must step in for certain actions.

These limitations highlight that Operator isn’t seamless yet. It remains in research preview mode, offering a window into the possibilities of task automation rather than a fully polished solution.

Why Should We Care

The arrival of Operator and similar tools signals a shift in how businesses and marketers will work. Here are three reasons to pay attention:

• Workforce Transformation: Autonomous agents like Operator are set to transform work dynamics by automating repetitive tasks. This shift may create new roles, such as AI workflow designers, to optimize collaboration between humans and AI. If you haven’t yet, read the World Economic Forum report on the future of work. 🤔

• Marketing Automation: Operator demonstrates the potential to streamline workflows like lead qualification, competitor analysis, campaign management and others without requiring specialized tools - I’ve been hearing a lot that agents will kill SaaS, and I suspect that’s true. Starting to experiment now can help teams prepare for wider adoption.

• Future-Proofing Digital Strategies: Marketers must adapt their digital presence for AI agents. Data, AI-friendly content, human-generated social proof, and seamless user experiences will be key. Is your website ready for AI agents to consume content and use? What about ads being integrated or skipped by these tools? What happens when most web users are agents, not humans? These questions will shape the future of digital marketing.

A Small Experiment - and a Resource for You

To explore Operator’s potential, I tasked it with compiling a list of 20 reports on AI agents for business and marketing leaders. After some back and forth and adjustments, it generated insights from reputable sources like McKinsey, Deloitte, Accenture, BCG, and others. This list will be updated weekly and is available for anyone interested.

Final Thoughts

Operator may not yet be perfect, but it represents a significant step forward in AI’s ability to handle real-world tasks. Its current limitations reflect the early stages of a technology that could save countless hours, redefine workflows, and transform how we work.

Whether you’re curious or cautious, Operator is a glimpse into the not-so-distant future. Businesses that start exploring the potential of AI agents now will be better prepared to thrive in the age of automation.