Introduction to Operator

OpenAI has announced the expansion of its Operator tool to several countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the UK, and other regions where ChatGPT is available. Initially launched in the US in January, Operator is designed as an "agent that can go to the web to perform tasks" for users, handling various browser-based tasks such as form filling, restaurant reservations, and grocery ordering.

Availability and Development

Currently, Operator is in its early stages as a research preview, complete with limitations. However, OpenAI aims to enhance its capabilities based on user feedback. The company has also expressed its intention to make Operator available in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland, although it is still working on this expansion.

Technical Overview

Operator is powered by the Computer-Using Agent (CUA) model, which is trained to interact with website elements like buttons, menus, and text fields. This allows it to mimic user actions such as clicking buttons and typing in text fields, essentially using all the actions permitted by a mouse and keyboard.

Access and Future Plans

At present, Operator is exclusively available to ChatGPT Pro subscribers who pay $200 per month. OpenAI plans to expand access to Plus, Team, and Enterprise users in the future, with the ultimate goal of integrating Operator’s capabilities into ChatGPT. This integration could potentially enable Operator to perform tasks for hundreds of millions of users worldwide, given that ChatGPT has recently surpassed 400 million weekly active users, doubling its user count since August 2024.

Twitter Update

As tweeted by OpenAI on February 21, 2025, Operator’s rollout to Pro users in multiple countries is underway, with further updates promised for its availability in additional regions. The tweet also acknowledges the ongoing work to make Operator accessible in the EU and other countries, ensuring that users are kept informed about the progress.

OpenAI’s continuous efforts to enhance and expand Operator reflect the company’s commitment to developing innovative tools that can significantly impact how users interact with the web and perform daily tasks.