Introduction

In an exciting update, OpenAI has unveiled a highly anticipated feature for paying users of its ChatGPT model: the ability to schedule reminders and set recurring tasks! This beta feature, aptly named "tasks," is being rolled out to ChatGPT Plus, Team, and Pro users around the globe starting this week.

Functionality and Use Cases

Imagine telling ChatGPT, "Remind me when my passport expires in six months," and receiving a timely push notification from the AI assistant. With the new tasks feature, users can set simple reminders and even complex recurring requests like, "Give me a weekend plan based on my location and the weather forecast every Friday," or "Provide me with a daily news briefing at 7 a.m." This marks a significant enhancement in user interaction, offering practical utility that digital assistants like Siri and Alexa typically involve.

CEO Insights

CEO Sam Altman has hinted that 2025 will see a transformative surge in AI capabilities, suggesting that AI agents may soon be integrated into the workforce. While the tasks feature serves as a stepping stone towards true agentic systems, it allows users unprecedented control and functionality that previous digital assistants lacked. For those eager to access this feature, simply select “4o with scheduled tasks” from a dropdown menu in ChatGPT, and start creating your personalized reminders and tasks!

Web Browsing and Notifications

Moreover, this new capability enables ChatGPT to browse the web on a set schedule, providing notifications for specific queries—though it currently cannot perform continuous background searches or make purchases. For instance, users can instruct ChatGPT to check for concert tickets monthly without the ability for it to alert or purchase immediately upon their release. Nonetheless, this is a significant leap toward developing more autonomous systems.

User Feedback and Future Improvements

OpenAI is using this beta testing phase to gather user insights, which will ultimately drive improvements in wider releases on mobile and the free tier of ChatGPT. However, it’s worth noting that tasks cannot be created through Advanced Voice Mode during this early phase.

Challenges in AI Assistance

Despite advances in AI assistants based on large language models, there are still challenges when it comes to executing basic smartphone functions like setting timers or making reminders. OpenAI, alongside other AI developers, has been working tirelessly to create innovative solutions to these seemingly simple tasks, while simultaneously aiming for more complex functionalities in the future.

Looking Ahead: Advanced Systems

Glimpses into the future reveal that OpenAI plans to introduce even more advanced agentic systems—one notably called "Operator," which is designed to handle tasks like writing code and booking travel. This system could potentially be unveiled in the coming weeks, as reported by Bloomberg.

Conclusion

As this new wave of AI assistant functionality emerges, challenges may arise, especially regarding safety and control. While tasks are currently programmed with a deliberate set of abilities, the rollout of more autonomous AI systems might test OpenAI's safeguards in ways we've yet to see. Stay tuned for more updates as we venture into an era where AI agents could potentially reshape our daily routines in remarkable ways!