OpenAI’s Dev Day took place on September 29th, and the biggest announcement was Dots, an always-on AI agent built into ChatGPT. OpenAI also announced a new model, GPT-6.1 Soul, an Ultra Fast mode, a new $500 Pro plan, and Codex in the cloud.
In this guide I go through the Dev Day announcements, then set up my own Dot. I named it Bob. I tested it on real tasks from my business and compared it with Grok Bot, which I use every day.
Prefer to watch? See the full walkthrough on YouTube. I build the whole thing on screen.
OpenAI Dev Day announcements at a glance
- Dots: an always-on AI agent that lives inside ChatGPT.
- GPT-6.1 Soul: near-Astra intelligence at a fifth of GPT-6 Astra’s standard input and output token prices.
- Ultra Fast mode: up to eight times faster token generation, only on the new $500 per month Pro plan and Enterprise.
- Codex in the cloud: run Codex on your computer, remotely from your phone, or in the cloud from any device.
GPT-6.1 Soul benchmarks
OpenAI’s lineup is now GPT-6 Astra (still the most intelligent), the new GPT-6.1 Soul, and GPT-6 Luna. According to the Dev Day recap:
- Professional work: about 35 cents per task, almost matching GPT-6 Astra on extra-high mode at a lower cost.
- AutomationBench: it scores highly and is the most cost-effective model on the benchmark.
- Computer use: nearly as good as GPT-6 Astra on max mode, at roughly a ninth of the cost.
I’ve already selected GPT-6.1 Soul in Codex on the command line, and I’ll be testing it more.
The new pricing: $500 Pro and a smaller $200 plan
Ultra Fast mode needs the new $500 per month plan. OpenAI also brought back the $200 plan, but with about half the usage it used to have. I’m still on the $100 plan, and I don’t expect to upgrade to $500 soon. That’s about what I pay in rent each month here in Thailand.
What is OpenAI Dots?
Dots is OpenAI’s always-on agent platform inside ChatGPT. When you first open it, you can connect plugins to make your Dot more helpful. Then it introduces itself as your Dot messenger, which you can call any time and which keeps working and checks in with updates or questions even when you’re not talking to it.
Customising your Dot
- Name and avatar: I named mine Bob and changed the avatar. You can pick one or generate a new one.
- Calling: you can call your Dot, which suggests it will work from your phone.
- Integrations: connect Slack and other plugins. It also suggested connecting my Google Calendar.
- Cloud or local computer: you can run the Dot on a local computer or a cloud computer.
If you want to build AI agent workflows like this for your own business, AI Income Lab has step-by-step courses.
Testing Dots on real tasks
Straight away my Dot suggested things it could take off my plate: drafting a TubeAnalytics paragraph, preparing an application for the AI Space podcast, and following up on a call. I chose the podcast application.
Context from every ChatGPT conversation
This is Dots’ biggest advantage. It has access to every conversation I’ve had with ChatGPT, so I didn’t have to train it on my business, as I’ve had to with Meta Muse and Grok Bot. It already knew the AI Space podcast had replied saying my practical experience with AI agents and n8n sounded like a fit. It drafted my bio, a proposed episode, the pitch, and three talking points.
That reply came from podcast outreach my Grok Bot runs on my behalf. So the two tools work well together: Grok Bot finds the opportunities and Dots helps finish the paperwork.
The cloud computer
Each Dot can use a cloud computer with a browser, a virtual terminal (you can list files, change directories, use tab completion and run pwd, much like Linux), and a file explorer that works like the one in Windows. I show this on screen in the video. I opened one of my websites from it. When it tried to open the podcast’s application form in its cloud browser, the page didn’t fully load and showed a “blocked by Chromium” error.
Tasks and transparency
Each job becomes a task you can expand to watch the agent think and see which tools it calls, step by step, much as you can in Codex. It also flagged time-sensitive items, such as a DataForSEO agreement, and pulled details from my past chats when I asked. I also asked it to gather my ChatGPT project knowledge bases into the Dot so it could use them in conversations.
Dots vs Grok Bot
- Context: Dots starts with all your ChatGPT history. Grok Bot needs to be taught your knowledge base.
- Customisation: both let you set a name and an avatar, and they look similar.
- Cloud computer: Dots gives you a visible terminal and file explorer, which I don’t get in Grok Bot.
- Cost: I’ve hit 100% of my usage on Grok Bot’s $60 per month plan. Using Dots alongside it means I don’t need to pay about $40 more for a higher tier.
Using Dots or Grok Bot? Share your setups in the AI Automation Station community.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Skipping integrations. Connect your calendar and key plugins early so your Dot can be useful.
- Expecting the cloud browser to open every site. Some sites block it, like the podcast form did for me.
- Upgrading too quickly. The $500 plan is mainly for Ultra Fast. Most people don’t need it.
- Not reviewing drafts. Read applications and pitches before anything is sent.
- Treating it as a replacement. Dots works best alongside tools like Grok Bot.
Want help building this for your own business?
The video shows what’s possible. Inside AI Income Lab, the paid community from AI Automation Station, you get step-by-step courses, reusable templates, and a place to ask questions while you build. The courses walk you through builds like this one step by step. Over 2,900 members are already building with it, from $29 a month, and you can cancel anytime.
FAQ
What is OpenAI Dots?
An always-on AI agent inside ChatGPT, announced at Dev Day on September 29th. You can customise it, call it, connect plugins, and run it on a local or cloud computer.
Does Dots know my previous ChatGPT chats?
Yes. In my testing it used context from all my past ChatGPT conversations, so I didn’t need to retrain it.
What is GPT-6.1 Soul?
A new OpenAI model with near-GPT-6 Astra intelligence at a fifth of Astra’s standard token prices.
Do I need the $500 plan?
Only if you want Ultra Fast mode, which offers up to eight times faster token generation. I’m staying on the $100 plan.
Is Dots better than Grok Bot?
They’re good at different things. Dots has your ChatGPT context and a visible cloud computer. I use both together.
Conclusion
Dots is the most interesting thing to come out of Dev Day. It has an always-on agent with your full ChatGPT history and a real cloud computer. GPT-6.1 Soul makes near-Astra performance affordable, while the $500 plan is hard to justify. I’ll be testing Dots much more over the coming weeks.
If you’d rather not figure this out alone, AI Automation Station has a paid community for it: AI Income Lab. It’s where the courses, templates and help that go with these builds live, with 2,900+ members, from $29 a month, cancel anytime.
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