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- OpenAI releases Operator, AI agent to automate web-based tasks
OpenAI releases Operator, AI agent to automate web-based tasks
Bay Area Times
January 24, 2025
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Top stories today:
- OpenAI releases Operator, AI agent to automate web-based tasks
- Trump signs EO to promote crypto, potentially build national stockpile
- Perplexity launches AI-powered assistant to help with daily tasks
- Humanity’s Last Exam, new super-hard AI benchmark, released
- Startup CEO ownership over time depends on founding team size
- U.S. equity risk premium falls below 0, last seen during dotcom era
0. Data and calendar
All values as of 6 AM ET / 3 AM PT, other than S&P500 and NASDAQ close (4 PM ET / 1 PM PT).
All times are ET.
Listen to our AI-generated podcast summarizing today’s newsletter (beware of hallucinations):
1. OpenAI releases Operator, AI agent to automate web-based tasks
Available as a “research preview” to ChatGPT Pro subscribers in the U.S.
Uses a native web browser for tasks such as booking “Dining & events”, “Delivery”, “Local services”, “Shopping”, and “Travel”.
Based on a “Computer-Using Agent” (CUA) model, combining GPT-4o’s vision capabilities with “advanced reasoning through reinforcement learning.”
Users can take control if it gets stuck or performs a task requiring login credentials.
CUA “processes raw pixel data” to understand on-screen content and “uses a virtual mouse and keyboard to complete actions”
DoorDash, Instacart, OpenTable, and Uber are among the initial companies supporting Operator’s access
Limited in browsing other websites and currently has problems with “complex interfaces like creating slideshows or managing calendars.”
Rate limits on a daily and task-dependent basis also exist.
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3. Trump signs executive order to promote crypto, potentially develop national digital asset stockpile
David Sacks will lead the crypto working group to create the digital asset stockpile.
The stockpile will be “potentially derived from cryptocurrencies lawfully seized by the Federal Government.”
The order also protects stakeholders from “persecution.”
Developers and miners are free to “develop and deploy software” and “participate in mining and validating,” the order said.
