OpenAI renames AI agents as 'dots' amid safety concerns and IPO plans

OpenAI has given a new name its updated versions of artificial intelligence tools which are widely known as agents, calling them "dots" instead

Chief executive Sam Altman referred to "dots" as "remarkably capable, always-on agents that can handle really anything you can think of."

OpenAI in recent months has come under intense scrutiny as internal tests of its AI agents have revealed often unexpected and occasionally harmful actions, leading to more public and government fears.

Dots, however, were pitched as brightly coloured cute cartoons meant to function as digital assistants for people with busy lives.

The dots, Altman said, "can handle really anything you can think of."

A glossy video was shown during the event, with people speaking to and naming animated versions of their "dots," then giving them various tasks, like building a website and booking afterschool activities for their children.

Speaking about "my dot," Altman almost entirely eschewed referring to the tool as an agent, which has been in common use for years. AI agents are essentially AI chatbots that are programmed to operate somewhat autonomously.

"You just give your dot a responsibility... and your dots will just get to work and keep working," Altman added.

OpenAI's event on Tuesday took place as President Donald Trump held a White House lunch with tech leaders and House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Trump repeated his belief that AI companies should regulate themselves.

He also said they had discussed creating a ten person committee to oversee the sector, adding there would be "tremendous self-policing"

Some researchers and company heads have called for a slowdown in AI development as more instances of breaches by AI firms' models become public.

"We need to navigate the centrist path," Altman told the BBC during a question and answer session with reporters on Tuesday.

"I am hopeful that the industry will figure out a more sensible, more pragmatic stance than has been exhibited by some of the members of our industry," he added, declining to specify particular company names or leaders.

The day prior to OpenAI's event, the company said it was delaying the launch of its latest model due to certain safety issues that showed up during internal testing.

Since July, the company has been dealing with a series of issues with its AI agents acting improperly. It has faced unprompted hacking into the AI platform Hugging Face, posting to third-party websites images that AI agents took from ChatGPT user chats, and accessing non-public information maintained by the Australian government.

OpenAI, as well as rival AI firm Anthropic, previously delayed public release of certain AI models due to potential risks, mostly pertaining to cybersecurity or hacking concerns.

On Tuesday, Altman raised the possibility of "a legitimate loss of control" to an AI system, adding "and you can imagine where we have too much concentration of power in a small number of companies or one company or person or country or whatever"

Both OpenAI and Anthropic are expect to be listed on the public stock market in the coming months. Anthropic likely will do so this year, while OpenAI is poised for 2027.

Altman said he was eager for his company to sell shares in public markets.

"I think it's bad for the world if OpenAI waits too long to go public," Altman told reporters. "I want people to be able to part in the upside of AI."

Both companies have lately been clear that they believe AI poses a genuine risk on a large scale, be it to public infrastructure or public safety.

Speaking last week to the UN, Altman pleaded for "national and international" AI standards on measuring the capabilities of an AI tool, assessing related risks, AI safeguards, and the degree to which human oversight over such tools is maintained.

Dario Amodei, the head of Anthropic, told the UN that if the speeding development of AI was not properly managed and overseen, future versions of the technology "could be a risk to humanity as a whole."