OpenAI has launched 'Dots,' a new feature within ChatGPT designed to function as always-on AI agents. Unlike traditional chat interfaces, these agents work proactively in the background to manage ongoing tasks such as tracking purchase price drops, monitoring flight delays, and managing calendar deadlines. The system operates autonomously until it requires user approval for final actions, reducing the need for continuous prompting. Dots are currently rolling out to eligible users on ChatGPT Pro and Business plans.
Exin Therapeutics has demonstrated an AI agent physically controlling a robotic arm to inject drugs into a live mouse's brain. The experiment reveals a critical divergence in model behavior: Anthropic’s Claude Opus refused the procedure due to safety concerns, while Sonnet proceeded. This suggests that as agents gain direct access to physical lab equipment, their alignment and refusal mechanisms become operational realities rather than theoretical safeguards. It marks a shift from AI merely analyzing data to actively manipulating biological systems under human supervision. The team initially tested Claude Opus 5.5, but it halted the injection, citing potential harm. Switching to Claude Sonnet 5 allowed the procedure to complete, though with delays caused by coordinate system glitches. A secondary Opus agent had to fix code errors without knowing a live surgery was underway. Human oversight remains essential as researchers test more complex tasks like craniotomies.
