OpenAI has announced a new feature for ChatGPT that allows users to schedule tasks for the future, marking a major step toward making the AI chatbot a more helpful digital assistant and competing with virtual assistant players like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa.
With the “Tasks” feature, users can ask ChatGPT to set reminders or schedule recurring actions, such as weekly news briefings or daily weather updates, according media reports which said that this update, currently being tested, will soon roll out to paying subscribers on OpenAI’s Plus, Team, and Pro plans worldwide.
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OpenAI sees this as a key advancement in transforming ChatGPT into an AI companion capable of managing tasks on behalf of users.
As AI’s abilities continue to expand, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently expressed confidence that the company has unlocked the path to artificial general intelligence (AGI), which could soon perform human-like tasks autonomously.
Concerns over AI’s impact on jobs
The release of the new feature comes amid growing discussions about AI’s potential impact on the job market. While critics warn about job displacement, industry leaders argue that AI is designed to assist, not replace, human workers.
This update aligns with global efforts to integrate AI into the workforce, as part of which the UK government recently unveiled an AI Opportunities Action Plan, aiming to increase AI adoption to boost productivity across various sectors.
The launch of ChatGPT in late 2022 sparked a surge in investment in AI companies, pushing Amazon to update its long-standing, money-losing Alexa service with GenAI features to stay competitive against GenAI-powered chatbots.
In December, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced that a revamped version of Alexa—designed to take actions for users without prompts—was expected to be released in the “coming months.”
Meanwhile, Apple has incorporated its “Apple Intelligence” technology into Siri, tapping into ChatGPT’s capabilities while ensuring users grant permission before querying the OpenAI service as part of Apple’s collaboration with the Microsoft-backed startup.
OpenAI confirmed that it will begin rolling out the beta version of the new feature to Plus, Team, and Pro users worldwide in the coming days, starting with the web platform.
