OpenAI expands roll out of its Operator AI agent in several regions including India

OpenAI has expanded the availability of its AI-powered agent, Operator, to several major markets beyond the United States. The autonomous AI tool, which can perform complex online tasks based on user prompts, is now accessible to ChatGPT Pro users in Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the UK, and most other regions where ChatGPT is available.

However, European users will have to wait a bit longer, as OpenAI has yet to roll out Operator in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland.

First introduced in January, Operator is powered by OpenAI’s Computer-Using Agent (CUA), an advanced AI model that combines computer vision from GPT-4o with enhanced reasoning capabilities from OpenAI’s proprietary AI models. This post-trained reinforcement learning-based AI agent allows users to automate tasks online with minimal manual intervention.

The AI agent is designed to interact with graphical user interfaces (GUIs), including buttons, menus, and text fields, much like a human using a computer. Equipped with a dedicated browser, it can execute actions independently, allowing users to focus on other tasks while it completes complex multi-step operations.

While OpenAI has successfully brought Operator to new regions, the company acknowledged in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that Europe remains an exception. The post stated:

“Still working on making Operator available in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein & Iceland.”

The delay in Europe could be due to regulatory challenges, as AI governance and compliance frameworks in the region are more stringent compared to other markets.

Operator functions using an AI-powered sandbox environment where it can:

- Accept text and image inputs
- Analyse raw pixel data on the screen
- Use a virtual keyboard and mouse to perform actions
- Navigate errors and adapt to unexpected scenarios

By leveraging computer vision and AI reasoning, Operator can complete repetitive and time-consuming online tasks that previously required human intervention.

The rollout of Operator comes at a time when OpenAI is experiencing rapid growth, with its weekly active users surpassing 400 million. This expansion further solidifies OpenAI’s dominance in the generative AI space, as it continues to explore new applications, including AI-driven automation and real-world task execution.

Meanwhile, the AI industry is witnessing increased competition, with former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati launching an AI startup, and OpenAI reportedly considering changes in voting rights to protect against hostile takeovers.