ChatGPT's beta feature paves the way for its future as an AI agent
OpenAI, the brains behind ChatGPT, recently wrapped up its 12 days of 12 livestreams event, rolling out a slew of new features, capabilities, and even some fresh products for its users. But it seems the AI company isn't ready to hit the brakes just yet.
OpenAI is introducing a new beta feature in ChatGPT called Tasks, allowing users to schedule actions and set reminders for the future. Already rolling out to Plus, Team, and Pro subscribers, this feature aims to transform ChatGPT into a more traditional digital assistant – imagine Google Assistant or Siri, but with ChatGPT's advanced language skills.
Tasks lets you tell ChatGPT what you need and when to do it. For instance, you can ask for reminders like, "Remind me when my Apple TV free trial ends in three months," and ChatGPT will send a push notification. You can also set up recurring tasks, such as daily news briefings at 9 a.m.
The company mentions that the beta period is all about understanding how people use the feature before rolling it out more widely. Oh, and if you're hoping to set tasks through Advanced Voice Mode during the beta, you're out of luck. That's not part of the deal just yet.
Scheduling tasks is a feature we've come to expect from digital assistants, but ChatGPT has mostly stuck to real-time interactions, handling immediate requests without the ability to plan ahead or manage ongoing tasks. The introduction of the Tasks feature changes that dynamic.
This is OpenAI's first step into creating AI models with more independence, essentially laying the groundwork for what we might consider AI agents. According to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, 2025 is set to be a big year for AI agents, even suggesting they'll eventually "join the workforce."
OpenAI is introducing a new beta feature in ChatGPT called Tasks, allowing users to schedule actions and set reminders for the future. Already rolling out to Plus, Team, and Pro subscribers, this feature aims to transform ChatGPT into a more traditional digital assistant – imagine Google Assistant or Siri, but with ChatGPT's advanced language skills.
Today we’re rolling out a beta version of tasks—a new way to ask ChatGPT to do things for you at a future time.
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) January 14, 2025
Whether it's one-time reminders or recurring actions, tell ChatGPT what you need and when, and it will automatically take care of it. pic.twitter.com/7lgvsPehHv
To get started, select "4o with scheduled tasks" in the model picker, then simply type your request and specify the timing. You can manage all your tasks directly in chat or through the new Tasks section in the profile menu (web only), making it easy to tweak or cancel them. Notifications will pop up on web, desktop, and mobile once tasks are completed. Just note that you can only have up to 10 active tasks running at the same time.
OpenAI hasn't said if or when the Tasks feature will make its way to free users, so it looks like it'll stay a premium perk for now. This is probably part of the plan to keep ChatGPT's subscription options – which cost $20 or $200 a month – worthwhile.
The company mentions that the beta period is all about understanding how people use the feature before rolling it out more widely. Oh, and if you're hoping to set tasks through Advanced Voice Mode during the beta, you're out of luck. That's not part of the deal just yet.
Scheduling tasks is a feature we've come to expect from digital assistants, but ChatGPT has mostly stuck to real-time interactions, handling immediate requests without the ability to plan ahead or manage ongoing tasks. The introduction of the Tasks feature changes that dynamic.
This is OpenAI's first step into creating AI models with more independence, essentially laying the groundwork for what we might consider AI agents. According to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, 2025 is set to be a big year for AI agents, even suggesting they'll eventually "join the workforce."
We believe that, in 2025, we may see the first AI agents “join the workforce” and materially change the output of companies. We continue to believe that iteratively putting great tools in the hands of people leads to great, broadly-distributed outcomes.
– Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, January 2025
For now, Tasks is a simple version of this more autonomous system as it allows users to set reminders, a practical function familiar to anyone who's used voice assistants like Siri or Alexa. But what's exciting is how it goes a step further, letting users schedule information requests – something "traditional" digital assistants can't do.
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