So OpenAI just dropped Operator, and it's genuinely unlike anything I've used before. Not just another chatbot that answers questions—this thing actually opens a browser and clicks around like a person. It's equal parts impressive and slightly unsettling.
I got access through my ChatGPT Pro subscription last week, and I've been testing it obsessively ever since. Here's what actually works, what doesn't, and whether this is worth the hype.
What Is Operator, Really?
Think of it as a digital assistant that can actually use websites. Not just read them—actually navigate them, fill out forms, click buttons, the whole deal. You give it a task like "find me the cheapest flight to Tokyo next month" and it opens a browser, searches multiple sites, compares prices, and reports back.
The technical term is an "AI agent." It's built on GPT-4o and can interact with web interfaces just like you would. OpenAI calls it "semi-autonomous" because it still asks for permission before doing things like entering payment info or clicking "confirm purchase."
I tried booking restaurant reservations, ordering groceries, researching products, and even having it create memes (yes, really). Here's what I learned.
The Good: When It Actually Works
Operator excels at research-heavy tasks. I asked it to compare specs on five different laptops and find the best deal. It opened multiple tabs, navigated to different retailers, extracted specs, and built me a comparison table. Took about three minutes—would've taken me half an hour.
The grocery ordering test was impressive too. I gave it a list of items and told it to order from the cheapest option between three stores. It checked prices, added items to carts, and showed me the totals. I still had to confirm the actual purchase (thank god), but the legwork was done.
Someone I know in e-commerce used it to do competitive analysis on pricing across dozens of sites. Said it saved his team probably 10 hours of manual work. That's the sweet spot—repetitive web tasks that require clicking around but don't need much judgment.
The Frustrating Parts
CAPTCHAs are Operator's kryptonite. Any site with anti-bot measures stops it cold. It'll just sit there and eventually tell you it can't proceed. Makes sense—websites don't want to be automated—but it means you can't use it for tons of common tasks.
It also gets confused on complex sites. I tried having it book a flight with specific preferences (aisle seat, no layovers, specific times). It got the search part right but failed at actually selecting the right options. Too many dropdowns and radio buttons, I guess.
And here's the weird part: you have to watch it work. The browser window pops up and you see it clicking around. It's oddly mesmerizing at first, then just tedious. You're sitting there watching an AI use a computer to do something you could've done yourself, wondering if you're actually saving time.
The Security Elephant in the Room
Let's talk about the obvious concern: you're giving an AI permission to browse the web and interact with sites while potentially logged into your accounts. OpenAI says Operator blocks access to harmful websites and can't perform malicious activities. They've also got safeguards around sensitive info.
But still. The first time I watched it navigate to a shopping site where I was already logged in, I got nervous. What if it decides to buy something I didn't authorize? What if it accesses sensitive data?
To OpenAI's credit, Operator asks for confirmation before anything permanent. And you can opt out of data collection. But the trust required here is significant. I'm using it, but I'm not comfortable with it accessing financial sites yet.
Who's This Actually For?
After a week of testing, I think Operator makes sense for two groups:
- Researchers and analysts who need to gather data from multiple sources regularly
- People who hate repetitive web tasks and don't mind paying $200/year for ChatGPT Pro
For everyone else? The value proposition is murky. It's cool tech, but most people don't have enough web tasks to justify the hassle. My mom doesn't need an AI to browse for her—she's fine doing it herself.
Power users might love this. I can see developers using it for testing, marketers for competitive research, or recruiters for candidate sourcing. But casual users will probably try it once, think "neat," and never use it again.
The Bigger Picture
What interests me most isn't what Operator can do now, but what it represents. We're moving from chatbots that help you write emails to agents that actually take action in the world. Operator is clumsy and limited, but it's a first step toward AI that can actually do tasks for you, not just advise you.
OpenAI is only launching this in certain countries due to regulatory concerns. The EU, for instance, isn't getting it yet. That makes sense—the legal and safety implications are enormous. What happens when an AI agent makes a mistake that costs someone money? Who's liable?
My Honest Take
I'm going to keep using Operator, but mainly for research tasks where I need to aggregate info from multiple sources. The actual "doing things on websites" part feels more like a demo than a daily tool. It's impressive when it works, but frustrating enough when it doesn't that I often just do it myself.
The technology is clearly early. Version 1 of something that'll probably be game-changing in a few years. But right now, it's more "interesting experiment" than "must-have tool."
If you've got ChatGPT Pro anyway, definitely try it. Just don't expect it to replace your web browsing habits yet. And maybe don't let it anywhere near your banking sites.
The real question is: will this get good enough fast enough that we'll actually trust it with important tasks? Or will it stay in the "neat party trick" category? Ask me again in six months.