Announced on Tuesday, this beta feature enables users to schedule reminders and recurring actions, such as alerts for concert ticket sales or daily nudges to walk the dog. This development positions ChatGPT as a serious competitor to long-standing digital assistants like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa, but with a modern twist.
How the Tasks Feature Works
- Subscribers can access the new feature by selecting “4o with scheduled tasks” in ChatGPT’s model picker. From there, users simply type what they want ChatGPT to do and specify when it should be done.
- Notably, the system can suggest tasks based on ongoing conversations, though these suggestions require explicit user approval to prevent unnecessary clutter.
- Tasks can be managed seamlessly within chat threads or through the dedicated Tasks section in the profile menu (currently exclusive to the web version). Modifying or canceling tasks is straightforward, offering users flexibility and control.
- Once a task is completed, notifications will appear on web, desktop, and mobile platforms. However, users are limited to 10 active tasks at any given time, encouraging prioritization.
Global Rollout and Availability
The Tasks feature is rolling out globally in the coming days, initially available to ChatGPT Plus, Team, and Pro users on the web, with mobile app support to follow soon after. Once set, tasks can be edited within the same chat or managed through a newly introduced task manager on the ChatGPT website.
A Step Toward Everyday Integration
OpenAI’s move goes beyond convenience—it’s part of a broader strategy to make ChatGPT an indispensable tool in daily life. With over 300 million weekly active users relying on the AI for tasks ranging from drafting emails to crafting jokes, the scheduling feature aims to further embed ChatGPT into users' routines.
The Competitive Landscape
- The launch of Tasks comes as competitors like Amazon and Apple push to innovate their own digital assistants.
- Amazon is revamping Alexa with generative AI updates, aiming to make the assistant capable of handling tasks without explicit prompts. Despite progress, Amazon faces hurdles such as reducing “hallucinations” (AI-generated inaccuracies), a challenge that Rohit Prasad, head of Amazon’s AGI team, acknowledged in a recent interview with the Financial Times.
- Meanwhile, Apple is enhancing Siri in iOS 18, integrating OpenAI’s technology to improve information accuracy through a privacy-focused collaboration.
Looking Ahead
With Tasks, OpenAI is not just enhancing ChatGPT’s functionality—it’s redefining what virtual assistants can do. As the competition heats up, this innovation solidifies ChatGPT’s place as a leader in the AI-powered virtual assistant space.
