CHATGPT:
OpenAI’s ChatGPT now allows paying users to schedule reminders and recurring tasks with the introduction of a new beta feature called “tasks.” Starting this week, the feature will be available to ChatGPT Plus, Team, and Pro users globally.
With the tasks feature, users can set simple reminders, such as “Remind me when my passport expires in six months,” and receive push notifications on their chosen platform. It also supports recurring requests like, “Every Friday, give me a weekend plan based on my location and the weather,” or “Give me a daily news briefing at 7 a.m.” This feature marks OpenAI’s initial step toward developing AI agents—AI systems that operate independently.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has suggested that 2025 will be a pivotal year for AI agents, even predicting they will “join the workforce.” While tasks is a limited version of this concept, it enables users to set reminders with ChatGPT, a feature that most people expect from virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa. The ability to schedule specific information requests is a new capability not typically found in traditional digital assistants.
SCHEDULING REMINDERS AND TASKS:
To access tasks, users can select “4o with scheduled tasks” from a dropdown menu in ChatGPT. From there, they can tell the AI assistant what reminders or actions to create. ChatGPT may also suggest tasks based on prior conversations. Users can manage tasks either through chat or by using a dedicated task manager tab, available exclusively on the web app.
Through tasks, ChatGPT can perform scheduled web searches, but it won’t run continuous background searches or make purchases. For example, you could ask ChatGPT to check monthly for concert tickets in your area, but it won’t alert you as soon as the tickets are available or purchase them for you. This represents a step toward more autonomous systems, though it remains a controlled feature.
OpenAI is using the beta period to gather insights on how users engage with tasks before expanding its availability to mobile apps and the free tier of ChatGPT. For now, users cannot set tasks using Advanced Voice Mode.
While AI assistants have made great strides in expanding the capabilities of large language models, they still face limitations with basic tasks that smartphones easily handle. Developers from OpenAI, Google, and others have had to create workarounds to allow assistants to set timers and reminders. Though these features are relatively simple, OpenAI aims to enable ChatGPT to perform more complex tasks in the future.
The company is also preparing to launch more advanced AI systems, including an agent called Operator that can write code and book travel. This system may debut in the coming weeks, according to Bloomberg.
As OpenAI releases more autonomous AI systems, the potential for challenges grows. While tasks represents a controlled introduction to agentic abilities, OpenAI’s safeguards will be tested as more independent AI systems are rolled out in the near future.
