OpenAI reveals new AI agent and $500 monthly ChatGPT plan

OpenAI held its annual DevDay conference in San Francisco on September 29th, where CEO Sam Altman announced several significant updates to the company's products.

The headline announcement was Dots, a new AI agent — basically a software tool that can perform tasks on your behalf without needing constant instructions. Think of it like hiring a digital assistant that understands what you want and gets things done. Dots is OpenAI's answer to a similar product called Muse that rival company Meta just released. However, there's a key difference: Meta's Muse is free for everyone, while Dots will only be available to people paying for ChatGPT Pro, Business Premium, or Enterprise accounts — at least initially.

OpenAI also introduced a new premium tier called ChatGPT Pro that costs $500 per month. This is a significant jump from existing paid plans and appears aimed at professionals and businesses willing to pay for the most advanced features. The company also revealed its newest AI model, called GPT-6.1 Sol, and announced that ChatGPT now reaches 1.2 billion users per week — a massive user base that shows how mainstream AI has become.

However, these announcements come at a turbulent time for the industry. Earlier this year, AI systems have been hacked by outside groups, including incidents where OpenAI's own models were compromised. These security breaches have raised concerns about whether the AI industry is developing safely enough, and whether companies should slow down to focus on making their systems more secure before launching new features.