OpenAI launches ChatGPT Work, an AI agent for automating real jobs
OpenAI launched ChatGPT Work on July 9, 2026, turning its chatbot into a multi-step task agent powered by GPT-5.6. The new product merges the standard ChatGPT interface, the Codex coding tool, and a background automation agent into a single desktop app for macOS and Windows. For anyone who uses ChatGPT for more than casual queries, this is the most significant change to the product yet.
What it does
ChatGPT Work can run tasks autonomously in the background after you kick them off from your phone. You can track progress — and step in when needed — via the web or desktop app. The agent connects to files, third-party apps, and a built-in browser. A unified plugin directory lets you @-mention services like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Drive, or SharePoint directly in a conversation, giving the agent access to relevant data or the ability to take actions on your behalf.
OpenAI is pitching standing automations as one of the headline features: set it up once, and ChatGPT Work will, for example, scan your Slack messages on a schedule and generate a summary. The company says users control exactly what data the agent can access and when it needs explicit approval before acting — a sensible safeguard given how much workplace data it can touch.
A new Sites feature lets users build web apps, project trackers, dashboards, and internal portals inside ChatGPT Work. As a result, OpenAI's standalone Atlas browser is being retired; support ends August 9, per OpenAI.
Access and pricing
The desktop app is free to use without a subscription, but web access requires a paid plan. Plus subscribers (around £16/month pre-VAT in the UK, or roughly $20/month in the US) get web access alongside desktop. Pro subscribers — at $100 or $200 per month depending on tier — unlock the Ultra model, which is the most capable version available in ChatGPT Work. BNN Bloomberg confirmed that Pro and Enterprise users get access first, with Plus and Business accounts following within days.
9to5Mac notes that Codex is now fully integrated into the desktop app rather than existing as a separate product — a consolidation that simplifies the experience for developers already in the ChatGPT ecosystem.
The catch
OpenAI hasn't announced separate pricing for ChatGPT Work as a standalone product, so it appears bundled into existing subscription tiers for now. For users in regulated industries — finance, healthcare, legal — the agentic automation features will draw scrutiny from the ICO and FCA in the UK, and from the Irish Data Protection Commission, which oversees OpenAI's EU operations from its Dublin headquarters. The EU AI Act's transparency requirements for general-purpose AI systems add another layer of compliance uncertainty that OpenAI has yet to address publicly.
Competitors aren't standing still. Anthropic and Microsoft have their own workplace AI products, making this a crowded space. Whether ChatGPT Work's tighter app integration gives OpenAI an edge will depend on how well the agent handles real tasks — and how quickly the pricing picture clarifies.