OpenAI rolls out Operator agent to Pro users in 9 more countries

OpenAI just expanded its browser-controlling agent, Operator, to ChatGPT Pro subscribers in several countries outside the United States.

The company announced on Friday that the tool is rolling out to Pro users in Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the UK, and additional markets. OpenAI noted that Operator will eventually reach most regions where ChatGPT is supported, with notable exceptions being the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland.

An agent that drives the browser for you

Operator first debuted for U.S. users back in January. Unlike standard chatbots that simply generate text, this agent is built to take direct action on the web on your behalf.

You can prompt it to handle mundane online errands like booking flight tickets, making dinner reservations, filling out expense reports, or purchasing items on e-commerce sites.

The workflow runs inside a separate browser window, meaning you can sit back and watch the agent navigate pages and fill out forms. If things go sideways or if you need to input sensitive data, you can take over control manually at any moment.

Access remains tightly gated, however. It is strictly limited to subscribers of the premium $200-per-month ChatGPT Pro plan. You also have to launch it through a dedicated web page for now, though OpenAI says it plans to eventually embed Operator directly into all ChatGPT apps.

Why it matters

The AI race is rapidly shifting from talking models to action-oriented agents, and OpenAI is moving faster than anyone else to put consumer-facing software into global hands.

While Google's equivalent project remains locked behind a waitlist, Anthropic keeps its computer-use agent behind an API for developers, and Rabbit requires you to own its dedicated hardware, OpenAI is delivering a fully packaged web interface to paying subscribers.

That said, we think the $200 monthly price tag makes it a tough sell for everyday users. It is clearly priced to offset heavy cloud compute and keep query volumes manageable during early scaling.

Leaving out the EU and nearby European nations also highlights the massive regulatory and privacy hurdles facing automated web agents. Letting an AI click buttons and process transactions across the internet is a compliance minefield. OpenAI has the momentum right now, but proving that these agents can stay reliable and secure across varied websites will be the real test.