Analysis

‘Try the future’: New ChatGPT AI agents promise to do your jobs

In an era of regular announcements about new capabilities of various AI models, OpenAI’s release of ChatGPT Agent was a big one.

Paul SmithTechnology editor

Updated Jul 18, 2025 – 2.00pm, first published at 6.07am

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Even in an era of endless announcements about how artificial intelligence is becoming smarter, more powerful, and more helpful, OpenAI’s release of ChatGPT Agent early on Friday morning was a big milestone.

The latest product from the Microsoft-backed pioneer makes agentic AI available to anyone with a paid subscription to the widely used platform. In short, it pulls together and improves three pre-existing OpenAI products to create a tool that lets users ask ChatGPT to take control of multi-step and fairly complex tasks.

Paul Smith edits the technology coverage and has been a leading writer on the sector for 20 years. He covers big tech, business use of tech, the fast-growing Australian tech industry and start-ups, telecommunications and national innovation policy.