OpenAI’s September 29, 2026 product post introduces dots, spelled in lowercase on the page, as “always-on agents built to handle everything.” They are powered by GPT-6 Astra, with their own cloud computer and browser, and plugins for over 4,000 apps. Canada is not named in the rollout. That is the fact Alberta operators need before anyone treats a dot as a tool they can switch on this week.
What OpenAI says a dot is
The product page calls dots remarkably capable, always-on agents. “Powered by GPT-6 Astra, they have their own cloud computer” and browser, learn from feedback, and can work toward goals 24/7. Plugins connect to over 4,000 apps. You can reach a dot in ChatGPT, Slack, or Teams. The page does not say dots are powered by GPT-6.1 Sol. Do not substitute that model into this product.
“Dots are remarkably capable, always-on agents built to handle everything.”OpenAI — Introducing dots, September 29, 2026
OpenAI’s examples are operational, not a claim that a dot is a lead-generation product. A developer’s dot watches feedback and brings pull requests for review. A launch lead’s dot revises materials. A sales lead’s dot updates a proposal and flags open concerns. A content creator’s dot drafts social posts for approval. Each example ends with a person reviewing. The page also says dots can still make mistakes, so consequential work should be reviewed.
Plans, markets, and the sentence that does not name Canada
OpenAI says it is beginning to roll dots out across Pro, Business Premium, and Enterprise plans “in eligible markets,” and that the first dot “is included in your Pro or Business Premium plan at no extra cost.” Enterprise, including Edu and Healthcare, “can try the beta when their workspace admin enables it.” The DevDay recap the same day says that beta is off by default. This is not a Pro-only product, and the pages we re-read do not print a monthly dollar price for a dot.
The words “eligible markets” link to OpenAI’s help article Getting started with your dot. Re-read on October 2, 2026, that article says dots are rolling out to Pro users in markets excluding the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the UK, and that dots are also available to Business Premium users across all supported ChatGPT regions. It still does not name Canada. We will not infer that Canada is included or excluded. If your workspace does not show a dot, the help article’s own line is that rollout is gradual and access may take several days.
Read-only background work, approvals, and passwords
When you are not actively working with it, OpenAI says your dot looks for ways to help in the background. The page calls this “proactive research.” It uses apps you already connected, with tools “restricted to be read-only,” so they cannot send messages, change app content, or control your browser or computer. Custom Rules let you allow an action, require approval, or block it. Auto-review checks actions that could affect accounts or share information. Monitoring can pause or stop a dot. “Certain sensitive tasks, such as changing a password, always stay with you.”
Conversations with your dot do not count toward ChatGPT usage limits. If you ask the dot to start or manage tasks in Codex or ChatGPT Work, those tasks count toward usage limits as usual. Saved passwords for supported websites can be used without exposing them to the model. That is OpenAI’s description of a sign-in aid, not permission to hand a dot your identity system.
What Alberta operators should allow an always-on agent to do (our advice)
What follows is our advice, not OpenAI’s. Do not turn a dot on for a client workspace because a launch post exists. Confirm the plan is Pro or Business Premium, or that an Enterprise, Edu, or Healthcare admin has enabled the beta, and confirm the market actually shows the control. Canada’s absence from the page is a reason to check the product, not a reason to announce it internally.
If it does appear, start with read-only plugins and Custom Rules that require approval before anything is sent, filed, or changed. Keep password changes, payments, and production deploys with a person. For AI automation Alberta work, a dot is another agent with a computer, which means the same questions we ask of any agent: what it can read, what it can write, and who pauses it. An AI workflow voucher can pay for that scoping. It should not pay for a tool your tenant cannot open.