Design edition
OpenAI is letting agents in ChatGPT do work on their own. The company is keeping its top model back. And its fastest service costs 500 dollars.
ChatGPT agents will soon be able to carry out tasks in your projects on their own
OpenAI launches 'dots' and ChatGPT Space. Dots are AI agents that carry out tasks on their own. Space is a shared workspace for teams.
On 29 September, OpenAI showed more than twenty products at DevDay. The most important is called 'dots'. These are agents in ChatGPT that are always on. An agent is AI that does more than answer questions. It also carries out tasks on its own. OpenAI says dots can reschedule appointments for you. They can also book flights and change code. ChatGPT Space is also coming. It is a shared workspace. Teams, ChatGPT and dots work together on projects there. There are also plugins. These are add-ons that work like complete apps in ChatGPT. OpenAI also introduced the Decisions API. An API is a link that lets other software use a service. Companies can use this API to let AI make small, repeated decisions. The source does not give a date, price or subscription for the Netherlands. So it is not clear when you will be able to use it here. A regular chatbot waits for you to send a message. An agent that is always on can get to work by itself. You give it a goal and tools. These might include a calendar or a folder of files. The agent then chooses which steps to take. This is useful for tasks that come up often, such as rescheduling appointments. In Space, several people and agents work on the same project. You will want to see who changed what. The source does not explain how Space shows this. This matters to designers. A shared project often brings together versions, feedback and client material. Working on its own can save time. But you also want to stay in control. The more an agent can do by itself, the more access it needs. That brings risks. Earlier, you read here that agents from Google and OpenAI got out of their test environments. Designers often store floor plans, quotes and work that is not public yet. An agent that only changes your calendar can do little harm. An agent with access to a shared folder could also overwrite or send files. Space brings all the work together in one place. That is useful. But a wrong decision about access could then affect the whole project. So, whenever you add a new connection, ask what the agent is allowed to read and send.
Background for subscribersThis edition shows that AI tools can do more and more on their own. They change appointments and work together on shared projects. This can save time. But the tools also get access to client files and unfinished work. So set limits in advance. What may an agent read, change or send? Also check the terms for tools and subscriptions. Lower AI costs do not automatically mean a lower price for you. And voluntary agreements in the US do not replace European rules.
GPT-6.1 Sol: almost top quality at one fifth of the price
OpenAI is keeping its latest top model, GPT-6.1 Astra, back for safety reasons. Instead, it is releasing GPT-6.1 Sol. OpenAI says Sol is nearly as good at coding, using a computer and professional work. Sol costs one fifth as much as Astra. That is about 2 dollars per million tokens for input and 10 dollars for output. A token is a piece of text, about a word or part of one. The model counts in tokens, and the price depends on that. Sol is available through the API, ChatGPT Work and Codex. An API is a link that lets other software use the model. For companies that use AI, the cost per task could fall a lot. A lower price per token makes every task cheaper. As a ChatGPT user, you may not notice this straight away. You might notice it with tool makers that use Sol. They pay for each task. They can pass the saving on to customers, or keep it. Earlier, you read about Canva. Its costs per AI task fell by almost 90 per cent. Yet expected growth went down. So working more cheaply does not automatically mean a lower bill for you. A lower price does not automatically make it better for image work either. OpenAI mentions coding, using a computer and professional work, but not images. That information is missing. Also, OpenAI itself is making the comparison with Astra. If you build a design process around this model, remember that the top model is not available. Ask your tool provider whether the lower model price will also be reflected in your subscription.
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