Operator
Also known as: ChatGPT Operator, OpenAI Operator, CUA
Operator is OpenAI's answer to the question of what happens when a language model stops generating text and starts doing things. It has its own virtual computer, uses the web browser to navigate sites, handles login flows (pausing to ask you when credentials are needed), fills in forms, and completes multi-step tasks across multiple websites.
The initial release was available to ChatGPT Pro users in early 2025. It was positioned alongside Deep Research as the two main agentic modes inside ChatGPT: Deep Research for synthesizing information, Operator for taking action. The two were later combined into the unified ChatGPT agent.
For builders, Operator is relevant as both a product reference point (showing what browser-based computer use looks like in consumer form) and as a capability you can access via API. It's powered by the CUA (Computer Use Agent) model internally and represents the OpenAI implementation of the same computer-use paradigm that Anthropic pioneered with Claude's computer use capability.