OpenAI workspace agents

OpenAI has added “workspace agents” to ChatGPT, giving business customers shared bots that can carry out multi-step work across company tools. (openai.com) OpenAI said the feature launched April 22 in research preview for ChatGPT Business, Enterprise, Edu, and Teachers plans. Users start from a new Agents tab in ChatGPT, describe a recurring workflow, and ChatGPT helps turn it into an agent. (openai.com) The agents are powered by Codex, OpenAI’s cloud system for running longer jobs, so they can keep working after a person closes the chat window. OpenAI said they can use files, code, tools, and persistent memory, then run on schedules or from triggers. (openai.com; decrypt.co) OpenAI is pitching the product as a replacement for one-off custom bots inside a single chat. The company said teams can build an agent once, share it inside ChatGPT or Slack, and improve it over time as a group. (theverge.com; openai.com) The change pushes ChatGPT further into office software, where companies want automation that can move information between systems instead of only answering prompts. OpenAI’s launch materials highlight connectors for Slack, Google Drive, Microsoft SharePoint, and other enterprise tools. (openai.com) OpenAI’s own example is a sales workflow: an agent can pull call notes and account research, qualify leads, and draft follow-up emails for a representative. VentureBeat reported that Salesforce is one of the outside systems these agents can plug into directly. (openai.com; venturebeat.com) OpenAI also wrapped the feature in admin controls aimed at large organizations. Its help and product pages say admins can decide who creates and shares agents, what tools those agents may use, and how governance works inside a workspace. (openai.com; help.openai.com) That governance pitch addresses a problem that has slowed broader workplace use of artificial intelligence: companies want automation, but they also want approvals, role limits, and shared oversight. The Verge said OpenAI describes the agents as able to ask for approval when needed and keep work moving across tools. (theverge.com) The rollout also lands weeks after OpenAI changed how ChatGPT Business seats work. OpenAI’s help center says Business workspaces have supported usage-based Codex seats since April 2, 2026, alongside standard per-user seats. (help.openai.com) OpenAI’s pricing page says ChatGPT Business starts at $20 per user per month on annual billing, while Enterprise is sold through sales. Third-party reports said workspace agents are free during preview until May 6, with credit-based pricing planned after that date, but OpenAI’s main launch post did not spell out public pricing for the feature. (openai.com; windowsreport.com) The release gives OpenAI a clearer answer to rivals selling “agent” software into the workplace: not just a chatbot for one employee, but a managed bot a whole team can reuse. For companies already paying for ChatGPT at work, OpenAI is now trying to make the product part assistant, part shared operations layer. (venturebeat.com; openai.com)