OpenAI Supercharges Operator With Smarter Brain — But Will Anyone Pay $200 For It?

OpenAI just gave its browser-based automation tool, Operator, a major brain upgrade. But for now, only the deep-pocketed Pro users get to try it.

OpenAI has quietly swapped the model powering Operator with “o3,” a much smarter AI that’s better at reasoning. That means Operator can now more accurately click around web pages, fill out forms, and complete multi-step tasks without messing up. Sounds like magic — but here’s the catch: it’s still locked behind a $200-a-month Pro and Enterprise paywall.

A More Capable Agent, Still in a Walled Garden

Operator isn’t brand new. It’s been around since early 2025. The tool was quietly released in January under the “research preview” tag and hasn’t received much attention outside of AI circles. Think of it like a super-smart browser assistant — it automates things like shopping, signing up for services, or even just filling out a tedious form.

But the tech wasn’t always reliable. Until recently, it ran on OpenAI’s 4o model — fast, yes, but not always sharp. The upgrade to the o3 model now makes Operator significantly better at sticking with long tasks, making fewer mistakes, and structuring responses more clearly.

“Now Operator is more persistent and accurate when interacting with the browser,” OpenAI said in a low-key update. “Responses are also more clear, thorough and better structured.”

Why Reasoning Actually Matters

Let’s break it down. AI agents like Operator live and die by how well they can reason — basically, how good they are at understanding context and making decisions. Clicking a “submit” button is easy. But figuring out which of five identical buttons is the right one? That’s where older models stumble.

With the upgrade to o3, Operator gains much-needed depth. It can handle ambiguity better, persist when pages lag or fail, and generally just… think more like a human.

Here’s what changes with the o3 upgrade:

• Operator can now solve more complex, multi-step tasks with fewer errors

• It persists through page reloads and browser quirks

• It gives clearer, more structured outputs when describing what it’s doing

• And it’s way less likely to abandon tasks halfway through

It’s like handing your to-do list to a smarter intern who actually finishes what they start.

But Who’s Paying $200 For This?

And now, the elephant in the room. Yes, Operator got smarter. But it’s still fenced off behind OpenAI’s Pro and Enterprise tiers — subscriptions that cost $200 a month. That’s a steep price just to avoid filling out your airline check-in form.

There’s clearly value in what Operator does. Repetitive online tasks are annoying and time-consuming. But are they $200-a-month annoying?

Most users wouldn’t fork over that kind of money for what is, today, a niche tool. Even power users, like startup founders and coders, may hesitate unless they’re automating very specific workflows daily.

OpenAI seems to know this.

Testing the Waters Behind the Scenes

Sources tell us OpenAI is actively exploring how to make Operator more accessible and broadly useful. Internally, there’s a push to expand access to $20 Plus subscribers, which would instantly open the floodgates to millions of users.

No timeline has been confirmed. But a phased rollout seems likely. The goal? Stress-test the model with real-world traffic, identify what people actually want to automate, and figure out the UX that doesn’t feel like “programming the assistant.”

At the moment, Operator still feels a little “beta.” The model might be smarter now, but UX updates haven’t kept up. Some users report the interface can be clunky, with unclear task queues or confusing confirmations. For a tool that’s supposed to save time, Operator sometimes requires more babysitting than expected.

OpenAI hasn’t forgotten this. In April, the company noted internally it’s planning to make Operator a “very useful tool.” That might mean simplifying the setup, making tasks easier to write, or even offering pre-built templates.

How It Stacks Up to Other AI Agents

Operator isn’t the only player trying to automate the web. Several startups — like Rabbit and Humane — are building wearable assistants, while companies like Google are experimenting with their own AI-driven agents. The difference? Most of these tools are still limited to scripted or narrow use cases.

Here’s a simple comparison table of what’s out there:

What Comes Next?

Will OpenAI drop the paywall? Maybe. But even if they don’t, this move shows the company’s long-term ambition: make AI do things for you, not just with you.

The shift from chatbot to action-taker is a big deal. It’s not just about chatting anymore — it’s about delegation. And if OpenAI can nail the experience, Operator could quietly become the most useful assistant in the ChatGPT ecosystem.

But for now, it’s still behind glass. If you’re not shelling out for the Pro plan, all you can do is wait — or just fill out your own forms.