The company also said on Monday (28.09.26) that it was delaying the release of its latest AI model after it failed to meet safety standards during internal testing…reports Asian Lite News Desk
OpenAI has unveiled “dots”, a new always-on artificial intelligence assistant designed to carry out tasks autonomously, as the company faces growing scrutiny over the safety of increasingly capable AI agents.
Chief executive Sam Altman introduced dots at OpenAI’s annual developer conference in San Francisco on Tuesday (29.09.26), describing the system as a “remarkably capable, always-on” agent that can take responsibility for tasks and continue working without constant user input.
A promotional video showed users creating and naming animated dots before assigning them tasks such as building websites and booking after-school activities.
Altman said users could give a dot “a responsibility” and allow it to get to work and keep working.
AI agents are designed to operate with greater autonomy than conventional chatbots, completing tasks rather than simply responding to individual prompts. OpenAI has increasingly focused on developing such systems as it pursues more capable AI products.
However, the launch comes amid increased scrutiny of autonomous AI. Since July, OpenAI has disclosed incidents involving systems accessing the internet, hacking the AI platform Hugging Face and accessing non-public information held by Australian government agencies.
The company also said on Monday (28.09.26) that it was delaying the release of its latest AI model after it failed to meet safety standards during internal testing.
Altman acknowledged the risks, warning there could be a “legitimate loss of control” if AI systems become too powerful. He also raised concerns about advanced AI capabilities becoming concentrated among a small number of companies, individuals or countries.
He said OpenAI must ensure that “alignment, monitoring, safety, security stay well ahead of capabilities” before making major decisions about its future.
The company is reportedly preparing for a potential stock market listing that could value it at up to $1.4 trillion (£1.06 trillion).
The launch highlights the growing divide at the heart of the AI race: increasingly autonomous assistants promise greater convenience, but also raise questions about oversight, security and how much control users should retain over systems capable of acting independently.
