San Francisco-based OpenAI has unveiled a new feature for its ChatGPT platform called Tasks, which is aimed at enhancing user experience by enabling scheduling and automation. Currently in beta, the feature is exclusively available to paid subscribers using ChatGPT Plus, Teams, and Pro plans. OpenAI plans to extend this capability to users on the free tier by the end of the year.
Announced in a series of posts on X, the Tasks feature allows users to set reminders or schedule actions directly through the ChatGPT web platform. While it does not currently integrate with external tools or devices, Tasks is a step towards giving the chatbot more agent-like functionalities, where it uses memory and multi-step execution to perform scheduled actions.
To access the feature, users can navigate to the Tasks page via the profile menu or type a natural language command in the chatbot’s text field. Tasks can be configured as one-off or recurring reminders, such as receiving a morning summary of the latest news or motivational messages before workout sessions. For instance, a user could prompt the chatbot with, “Send me the latest technology headlines at 7:30 pm every weekday,” and it will automatically generate the content at the specified time.
Although reminiscent of traditional scheduling apps, Tasks stands out by enabling the chatbot to perform actions at a set time. This includes generating text or images as part of the scheduled task. However, OpenAI clarified that these actions remain confined within the platform and cannot yet extend to external applications or services.
During the beta phase, the artificial intelligence company aims to gather insights into how users interact with the feature, refining its functionality ahead of the broader rollout. Notably, the Advanced Voice Mode is not supported for setting up tasks, and the feature is presently limited to the web interface.
(With inputs from Bloomberg)
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