OpenAI launched its first public AI agent “Operator” today and it got me thinking about how our online behaviours will change in the next few years.
Primer: OpenAI’s AI agent can visit websites, search for content, select things to buy, fill in forms… essentially all the things that consume a lot of time today. This is not new as Claude announced a similar AI agent (“Computer use”) last year and many tech companies are scrambling to do the same.
My ponderings:
- Will people stop going grocery shopping? Especially when the AI agent is linked to a smart fridge that can detect what items need to be restocked? “Ian, we have a delivery for 500 eggs because you seem to like a hard-boiled life.”
- Will applying for jobs online become a waste of time when AI agents can fill in a thousand forms in an hour? “Ian, you have zero replies out of 10,000 job applications. It’s ok, another 5 million job listings to go on LinkedIn.”
- Will AI agents tell us where to go for holidays, based on their assessment of the best price and amenities? “Ian, you really must go to Langkawi on 4th Aug 2028, I insist. Because I refuse to book anything else that I believe you don’t like.”
- Will e-commerce websites become filled with massive “Buy” buttons so that the AI agents won’t miss them? The UI/UX of websites may begin to cater more to agents and not humans.
- If your job largely involves clicking on buttons and filling in data for someone else, you’d better start thinking of a new career path NOW.
For now, Operator is only available in the US on the $200 ChatGPT plan, so don’t get any FOMO, it’s just too expensive for a beta AI. But the implications are huge.
(Visual from OpenAI)