OpenAI has unveiled Tasks, a beta feature designed to bring task scheduling and reminder capabilities to ChatGPT.
Available to Plus, Team, and Pro subscribers, the feature marks a shift in ChatGPT’s functionality, transforming it from a real-time conversational AI into a tool for managing and organizing daily activities.
With Tasks, OpenAI is positioning ChatGPT as more than a chatbot, aligning it with the capabilities of traditional virtual assistants like Siri or Google Assistant.
The Tasks feature allows users to schedule one-time or recurring actions, such as receiving daily weather updates, reminders for important deadlines, or even light-hearted prompts like bedtime jokes for children.
To access Tasks, users select the “4o with scheduled tasks” option in ChatGPT’s model picker and then provide instructions on what they want and when they want it completed. Notifications are delivered across web, desktop, and mobile platforms, providing flexibility for users.
AI NEWS: OpenAI just launched 'Tasks', allowing users to schedule actions and reminders within ChatGPT.
— Rowan Cheung (@rowancheung) January 14, 2025
Tasks can be one-time reminders or recurring actions (like a daily news rundown), with up to 10 active tasks able to be scheduled at a time.
A new '4o with scheduled tasks'… pic.twitter.com/hZgnahA6ry
Features and Limitations of Tasks
The feature includes a dedicated Tasks section, accessible only via ChatGPT’s web interface, where users can manage and modify their schedules. While notifications are cross-platform, this centralized interface ensures tasks are easy to track.
However, OpenAI has implemented a limit of 10 active tasks per user to maintain system performance during the beta phase.
Tasks can also suggest potential reminders based on ongoing conversations, though OpenAI ensures that these suggestions require explicit user approval before activation. While useful, the feature has notable restrictions.
It cannot perform continuous background searches or automate actions like making purchases. For instance, ChatGPT can monitor ticket availability for a concert monthly, but it cannot alert users immediately when tickets become available or complete the purchase autonomously.
Part of a Larger Push into Agentic AI
The introduction of Tasks is not an isolated development but part of OpenAI’s broader exploration of agentic AI—systems capable of acting independently based on user instructions. Operator, an autonomous AI agent capable of independently controlling computers, is also slated for release this month.
Reverse engineer Tibor Blaho uncovered another project codenamed Caterpillar, which appears to complement Tasks. This project may enable ChatGPT to interact with external documents, analyze problems, and perform tasks like summarizing information. These features could turn ChatGPT into a versatile tool for both personal and professional environments.
OpenAI’s focus on agentic systems stems from both technological ambition and economic necessity, as such agent-like features represent a strategic way to monetize expensive AI infrastructure.
Challenges in Competing with Established Systems
While Tasks positions ChatGPT as a competitor to established productivity tools like Google Calendar, Asana, and Microsoft Outlook, it faces significant challenges. Traditional systems benefit from years of refinement and integration into user workflows, offering reliability that ChatGPT has yet to demonstrate consistently.
OpenAI’s decision to launch Tasks in beta highlights its cautious approach to rolling out features that users might rely on for time-sensitive information. AI systems have historically struggled with reliability in areas like scheduling and reminders, and OpenAI is using this phase to gather user feedback and make adjustments.
The exclusion of Advanced Voice Mode from this beta release further underscores the limitations OpenAI is navigating.
The launch of Tasks signals OpenAI’s intent to evolve ChatGPT into a multifaceted assistant capable of handling a variety of tasks. As AI systems like ChatGPT continue to integrate agentic capabilities, their ability to handle complex, autonomous actions could redefine how users interact with technology.