ChatGPT’s Agent Mode: Promising But Buggy
OpenAI’s new agent feature allows ChatGPT to operate a virtual browser and perform complex tasks on your behalf. In theory, it can book reservations, shop online, and even create presentations without human intervention.
When I tested it with a complex prompt to plan a date night, find clothing, and purchase a gift, the results were mixed. The agent worked for a full 50 minutes but didn’t complete the tasks independently. It required me to take over at critical points, which defeats the purpose of an autonomous agent.
What’s concerning is that during the keynote, Sam Altman mentioned these tools can take your credit card details and make purchases on your behalf, while simultaneously warning about the risks. It’s strange that OpenAI would release a product they acknowledge as potentially risky.
The agent did manage to:
- Find a restaurant and reservation time
- Select clothing items and add them to a cart
- Choose a reasonable gift option
However, it couldn’t complete the transactions without my intervention, and the process was painfully slow. For tasks that should take minutes, waiting nearly an hour isn’t practical.
Presentation Creation: Functional But Unimpressive
I also tested the agent’s ability to create a PowerPoint presentation for a website pitch. After 41 minutes of processing, the result was functional but underwhelming:
- The design was basic and unappealing
- Data was outdated by several months
- Charts lacked proper labels
- Content was generic and pulled directly from website headlines
While it’s impressive that AI can autonomously create a presentation, the quality falls far short of what a human assistant would produce. This highlights a key question: Is the goal simply to have AI do tasks, or to have it do them well?
Voice and Personality Cloning: A Mixed Bag
Hume AI released a fascinating tool that claims to clone not just your voice but your speaking style and personality. After training on just seconds of my voice, it created a digital version that could respond conversationally.
The results were interesting but flawed. The voice resemblance wasn’t perfect, and the AI had an annoying tendency to fill silence with constant chatter. It couldn’t stay quiet for more than a second, which quickly became irritating.
This technology raises important questions about digital identity and consent. As these tools improve, we’ll need to consider how voice cloning might be misused and what guardrails should be in place.
Visual Transformation Tools Show Promise
Two visual AI tools stood out this week:
Runway’s Act 2 allows you to record a video and then “reskin” it with any image. The motion from your original video drives the animation of the new character. While the facial expressions translated well, it struggled with more complex movements like handling objects.
Deart’s Mirage LSD (Live Stream Diffusion) transforms video in real-time, reskinning both you and your environment based on text prompts. The transformations happen quickly and maintain your movements, creating a trippy, immersive experience.
These tools show how AI is pushing creative boundaries, though they’re still more novelty than professional tool at this stage.
The Business Impact Is Coming
Beyond the flashy demos, some developments point to real business applications:
- Google’s AI-powered business calling feature will make calls to companies on your behalf
- Anthropic released Claude for financial services, optimized for financial analysis
- Mistral launched Voxil, an incredibly affordable speech-to-text tool at just 0.1¢ per minute
- Amazon released Kiru, an IDE that pre-plans coding projects before development begins
These tools suggest AI is maturing beyond novelty into practical business applications that could genuinely improve productivity.
The Reality Check
After testing all these new tools, I’m left with mixed feelings. The pace of innovation is undeniably exciting, but there’s a gap between what’s promised and what’s delivered.
Would I replace a human assistant with these AI tools? Not yet. They’re too slow, too buggy, and the quality isn’t consistent enough. But they’re improving rapidly, and that’s both thrilling and concerning.
What we’re witnessing is the awkward adolescence of AI – full of potential but still figuring things out. The tools that launched this week aren’t perfect, but they give us a glimpse of what’s coming. And that future is approaching faster than many of us realize.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Are these new AI agent features safe to use with personal information?
While companies like OpenAI are implementing security measures, there are still risks when sharing sensitive information like credit card details with AI agents. Even Sam Altman warned users to be cautious. Consider taking over manually when handling financial transactions or personal data.
Q: How long does it take for ChatGPT’s agent to complete complex tasks?
Based on testing, complex tasks can take anywhere from 4 minutes for simple data analysis to 50 minutes for multi-step processes like planning an evening out. The processing time is significantly longer than what a human would require for similar tasks.
Q: Can voice cloning technology like Hume AI be used for deception?
Yes, this is a legitimate concern. While the current technology isn’t perfect in mimicking voices, it’s improving rapidly. This raises important ethical questions about consent and verification. Companies developing these tools need to implement safeguards against misuse.
Q: Are any of these new AI tools actually ready for professional use?
Some are closer than others. Tools like Mistral’s Voxil for transcription and Claude for financial services are designed for specific professional applications and may provide real value. The more general-purpose tools like ChatGPT’s agent feature still have significant limitations that make them better for experimental use than critical business processes.
Q: How can I stay updated on new AI tools as they’re released?
Following dedicated AI news sources, subscribing to newsletters from major AI companies, and joining communities focused on AI developments are good strategies. Many companies also offer beta testing programs where you can try new features before they’re widely released.
