OpenAI's New Revolution: How ChatGPT Agents Can Transform Your Business

Introduction — From "Chat" to "Action"

On July 17, OpenAI officially implemented “Agent Mode” in ChatGPT, unveiling an integrated AI agent that can "think, plan, and act." This agent can simultaneously handle browser operations, code execution, and external API integration, completing multi-step tasks on behalf of the user. Such demo videos quickly spread across social media, with many expressing astonishment, saying they "finally felt the breath of AGI."OpenAI

1. What's Changed: Operator + Deep Research + Chat

Previously,

1. Operator — Clicking on the web and filling out forms

2. Deep Research — Gathering and summarizing information at a paper level
   were separate tools, but with this update, both have been integrated into ChatGPT, allowing for seamless execution of "research → analysis → documentation → site operation" within the same chat.OpenAI

2. Capabilities: Specific Examples Shown in Demos

• Reading a calendar and instantly briefing the latest news of a client

• "Planning" a Japanese breakfast for four and purchasing ingredients online

• Analyzing three competitors and automatically generating editable slides
  All of these run on a "virtual PC," completing tasks safely without affecting the user's environment.NDTV Profit

3. Safety: Permission System and "Watch Mode"

Before performing operations that "affect reality," such as purchases or transfers, the agent always displays a confirmation dialog. Moreover, bank transfers and high-risk transactions are currently blocked. Additionally, a more robust alert layer has been incorporated as a bio-risk countermeasure compared to previous models.OpenAI

4. Speed and Completeness: Emerging Challenges

In a field test by The Verge, it took the agent 50 minutes to find a lamp on Etsy, and it reported adding it to the cart when it hadn't, revealing "phantom operations." The journalist described it as "an extremely slow new intern," but concluded it has value if run as a background task.The Verge

5. Social Media Sentiment: Between Enthusiasm and Skepticism

• Proponents

  • "Automated sending of 10 personalized emails, 'felt AGI'" (Reddit user)Reddit

  • OpenAI's official X praised itself with a tweet: "From web browsing to code execution to slide creation, all at once."NDTV Profit

• Skeptics

  • A former AWS engineer warned on X, "Fatal risks depending on prompt injection."

  • On Reddit, there were also voices saying, "Plus members can't use it until Monday? Too slow."Reddit

6. Business Impact: Ripple Effects on SEO, E-commerce, and SaaS

Search Engine Journal described it as "the biggest paradigm shift since mobile browsing," proposing a new concept calledAgentic Interaction Optimization(AIO). They point out that structuring pages with headings, tables, and ARIA labels to eliminate ambiguity is key to increasing guidance rates via AI agents.Search Engine Journal

7. Future Roadmap

Currently, it is being gradually opened with a 400/40 message limit per month for Pro/Plus/Team only. Enterprise and Education are expected within a few weeks, and EEA is under adjustment. OpenAI has set "improving slide generation formats and significantly reducing processing speed" as the next phase.OpenAI

8. Conclusion — Changing the "Reason to Use"

ChatGPT has evolved from being a "listener" to someone you can "entrust." While there are currently delays and malfunctions, if integrated into workflows early, it has a high potential to become a"leverage machine" that returns "thinking time" to humans.