ChatGPT has introduced “agent mode,” a new feature that lets Pro, Plus, and Team users assign complex tasks to the AI through the tools menu.

Agent mode combines previous capabilities, such as the ability to interact with websites and analyze information.

The feature enables ChatGPT to navigate websites, filter results, execute commands, and maintain context across multiple tools to complete workflows.

Users stay in control as the AI asks for permission before major actions and allows them to pause, redirect, or stop tasks anytime.

The new mode integrates with applications like Gmail and GitHub, allowing ChatGPT to access relevant data for tasks such as summarizing emails or scheduling meetings.

Users must manually log in through the browser to interact with secured websites.

The update boosts ChatGPT’s interactivity, with future upgrades planned to enhance its capabilities even more.

🔗 Source: OpenAI

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ ChatGPT agent joins a 70-year AI evolution toward autonomous assistance

ChatGPT’s new agent capability represents a significant milestone in the decades-long development of AI systems that can autonomously perform complex tasks.

This evolution traces back to the 1956 Dartmouth Conference, where pioneers like John McCarthy officially established artificial intelligence as a field of study, focusing on simulating aspects of human intelligence 1.

Early AI development faced several “winters” when funding and interest waned in the late 1970s and late 1980s due to the gap between theoretical progress and practical applications 2.

The rise of machine learning, neural networks, and data-driven approaches in the 1990s created the foundation for today’s AI systems, with each generation becoming increasingly capable of autonomous action 1.

ChatGPT’s agent capability, combining web browsing, document creation, and complex task completion, represents the culmination of this historical progression toward AI systems that can independently execute multi-step workflows previously requiring human intervention.

2️⃣ ChatGPT’s unprecedented adoption curve signals potential for rapid agent uptake