NEW YORK, Jan 16: Until now, ChatGPT has been a helpful assistant, responding to prompts and assisting users with various tasks. But what if ChatGPT could take action on your behalf without needing to be asked each time?

ChatGPT Tasks

On Tuesday, OpenAI introduced a new feature called ChatGPT Tasks, which allows users to set up recurring tasks for the chatbot to perform automatically in the future. For example, in the demo, a user requests that ChatGPT send them a workout reminder each morning, complete with a motivational speech.

However, Tasks is not limited to reminders. Users can ask ChatGPT to perform any repetitive task it is capable of, such as retrieving specific information from the web daily and presenting it at a scheduled time. This could include delivering comprehensive news summaries, weather updates, industry analyses, social media trend tracking, and more.

For business professionals, this feature could streamline daily operations by automating communications like daily emails or briefing notes.

Karina Nguyen, a member of the technical staff at OpenAI, shared on X that her favorite way to use Tasks is to check stock prices every morning. The prompt she used is, "At 10 a.m. every morning, check Apple stock and tell me the price."

How to use Tasks

To start using Tasks, simply select "Go with scheduled tasks" from the model picker. Then, enter a prompt that specifies the task you want to be completed and how often it should occur. You can manage your tasks later from the "tasks" section in the profile menu.

OpenAI is rolling out Tasks in beta to Plus, Team, and Pro users globally over the next few days. During the beta phase, users will be limited to 10 tasks per day. As of writing this article, I was already able to access the feature with my ChatGPT Plus subscription. OpenAI plans to gather feedback and make improvements before expanding it to all users.

This feature marks the first time OpenAI has introduced AI agents—AI assistants capable of autonomously carrying out tasks without needing a prompt each time. While still in its early stages, this is an exciting development, as agentic AI is expected to be a major trend in 2025.