OpenAI launches Dots, upgrades Sol: September 30 brief

OpenAI's new Dots assistants put ongoing marketing work within reach of AI, making approval rules an immediate decision for small teams. Its upgraded Sol model also gives businesses a cheaper alternative to its premium model for some tasks. Meanwhile, expanded apps inside ChatGPT create another place for software businesses to reach customers.

OpenAI gives ongoing work to Dots

OpenAI launched Dots on September 29, describing AI agents, software that can carry out tasks, with their own remote computers and access to connected apps. Its Dots announcement includes preparing social posts from interview transcripts for human approval. Access is rolling out to Pro and Business Premium accounts in eligible markets; Enterprise access requires an administrator to enable the beta, an early release.

For a small marketing team, the useful prospect is handing over a recurring preparation job without issuing every instruction again. But the operating decision comes first: what may the assistant change? OpenAI says Custom Rules can allow actions, require approval, or block them. Its separate background research uses tools restricted to reading information. Don't mistake that restriction for a limit on every task you assign.

We would keep customer-facing publishing under a person's control during an initial test. A draft built from an interview still needs someone to check that it represents what the speaker actually meant. Our AI content policy template gives teams a starting point for assigning that responsibility.

OpenAI upgrades Sol at a lower price than Astra

OpenAI introduced GPT-6.1 Sol on September 29 at one-fifth of GPT-6 Astra's standard text-processing rates. The model announcement says it approaches Astra's performance on several company evaluations. That is a vendor claim about selected tests, rather than proof that it will match the premium model on your marketing work.

Pricing checked September 30. These charges apply to the API, the service through which software sends requests to the model. Tokens are small pieces of text used to measure usage.

A cache stores previously processed material so it can be reused at a lower charge. For repeated content jobs, ask whoever maintains your software whether the same background instructions qualify for that rate. Our explanation of ChatGPT billing helps separate software usage from employee subscriptions.

We'd compare models using a finished task, including editing time, before changing a budget. Give both the same source material and written brand voice rules, then have a reviewer assess the drafts without knowing which model produced them. Sol is available in ChatGPT Work and Codex, OpenAI's coding tool, but the announcement explicitly says it isn't yet available in ordinary Chat. Check the surface your team actually uses.

OpenAI gives plugins more room inside ChatGPT

OpenAI expanded ChatGPT plugins on September 29 with interactive panels and a place in the sidebar, according to its DevDay recap. Plugins are add-ons connecting ChatGPT with other software. The update also changes how they are ranked and recommended in the directory and in conversations, while users choose which ones receive access.

Our reading: software businesses have another potential discovery route, because customers can encounter and use part of a product inside an AI conversation. An announcement alone doesn't establish customer demand. Local service owners don't need to commission a plugin because a new display area exists.

Software sellers should identify one customer task that makes sense inside a conversation before funding development. For teams using these add-ons internally, check the requested access against the actual job. A tool meant to help prepare marketing material should have a clear reason for every connected source of company information.

Worth watching

• Dots includes extended work limits for its first month after launch; evaluate ongoing capacity before treating an introductory allowance as normal staffing capacity.
• OpenAI says collaborative slides will arrive in the coming weeks. Keep existing presentation arrangements until your team can test the released feature.