Generative artificial intelligence heavyweight OpenAI on Thursday previewed an AI agent that can carry out tasks on the web for users, as it seeks to enhance its chatbot amid intensifying competition.

The model underpinning Operator is a Computer-Using Agent (CUA) that combines GPT-4o's vision mode to "see" what's on the user's screen through screenshots with graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that enable Operator to interact with the screen (clicking buttons, typing, scrolling, etc.).

The company says the CUA’s reasoning technique, which they call an “inner monologue,” helps the model understand intermediate steps and adapt to unexpected input. Under the hood, CUA takes screenshots of web pages and uses a virtual mouse and keyboard to navigate.

OpenAI announced that it is launching a research preview of Operator, an AI agent that can take control of a browser and perform tasks.

OpenAI is testing an AI agent called Operator, which can do online tasks like filling out forms and making reservations.

OpenAI released a research preview of "Operator," a web automation tool that uses a new AI model called Computer-Using Agent (CUA) to control computers through a visual interface. The system performs tasks by viewing and interacting with on-screen elements like buttons and text fields similar to how a human would.