Robots doing all your work sounds perfect—until they’re stuck in loops, grabbing random tweets, and can’t even screenshot. True story.

Everyone’s raving about OpenAI Operator—YouTube gurus hyping it as the next big thing, a productivity savior that’ll handle all your tedious tasks while you sip margaritas. “It’ll book you the cheapest flights! It’ll analyze tweets! It’ll simplify your work life!” they claim. Who wouldn’t throw down $200 to outsource all their mundane tasks to a robot?

Well, I did. And let me save you the suspense: I regret every cent.

So, what exactly is ChatGPT Operator?

If you’re wondering, “what is ChatGPT Operator?”, imagine hiring a virtual assistant who promises you the moon but delivers a small, slightly deflated balloon instead. In theory, this tool should automate your daily tasks—research, summaries, social media analysis, and more—saving you hours of mind-numbing work. Sounds perfect, right?

But after spending a week wrestling with this so-called game-changer, I’m convinced my productivity decreased. Dramatically.

My painfully honest ChatGPT Operator review

To be fair, I had high expectations, but here’s how it actually went.

1. Analyzing trending tweets about web design

The task seemed simple enough—”Analyze trending posts about web design.” What I expected? Insightful highlights, popular discussions, actual trends. What I got? A messy list of tweets, half of which were duplicates or completely irrelevant. The operator proudly served up the same tweet three times—oh, and it was from two months ago. Hardly “trending.” It felt less like smart analysis and more like handing in an assignment five minutes before the deadline, hoping no one notices you copied Wikipedia word-for-word.

2. Summarizing the latest AI news

“Summarize the latest AI news.” Seems like a straightforward task, right? ChatGPT Operator’s approach: Find the first relevant Axios article, lazily summarize it, and call it a day. Did it check other sources? No. Did it provide comprehensive coverage? Nope. It felt like hiring someone who hands you the first Google result and proudly says, “Done!”

3. Listing popular AI-powered website builders and prices

I explicitly requested an independent analysis of AI-powered website builders, complete with pricing. ChatGPT Operator’s grand strategy? It took the first listicle it found on Bing and simply wrote out the first 10 items from there. When pressed for its methodology, it shamelessly admitted it copied everything straight from one source.

4. Summarizing multiple articles for a non-tech audience

My instruction was simple: “Summarize these articles for a non-tech crowd: [list of links to articles]”. ChatGPT Operator got to work—sort of. First, it summarized one article, then stopped and asked if it should continue. By the second time, it felt like dealing with a nervous intern on their first day, hovering awkwardly and asking, “Is this okay? Am I done now?” Then it spiraled into a bizarre loop of tab switching, as if it had completely lost the plot.

5. Taking website screenshots and adding them to a shared Google Doc

Initially, it confidently confirmed, “Sure, I’ll screenshot and upload everything to your doc.” Spoiler alert: It couldn’t take screenshots at all. Imagine telling your boss you’re fluent in French, then freezing when someone says “bonjour.”

6. Cherry on top – CAPTCHAs

Buried quietly on the OpenAI Operator’s landing page is a gem: it’s “trained” to hand tasks back to you whenever it hits logins, payments, or CAPTCHAs. That’s right—you pay premium prices for the luxury of solving those infuriating “select all images with traffic lights” challenges yourself. It’s like hiring a gardener who refuses to touch anything green.

ChatGPT Operator use cases (or lack thereof)

You might still think, it can’t be THAT bad. Unfortunately, its current real-world use cases seem limited to:

• Copy-pasting other people’s content (poorly).
• Annoying you with redundant questions.
• Failing miserably at tasks as simple as screenshotting.

How to use ChatGPT Operator (pro tip: don’t)

If you really must know how to use ChatGPT Operator, it’s straightforward:

• Open the app.
• Assign it a task.
• Immediately regret your choices.

Honestly, for now, it’s less a productivity booster and more an elaborate, expensive joke.

Verdict: Should you bother?

Here’s the harsh truth: ChatGPT Operator is basically an overhyped, underperforming intern. Instead of automating your workload, it’ll add more oversight, frustration, and, ironically, more work. Sure, tech hype is tempting, but in this case, you’re better off doing your own work—or hiring literally anyone else.

Maybe someday ChatGPT Operator will truly automate our mundane tasks flawlessly. Until then, save your $200. Spend it on coffee, therapy, or a puppy.

About the author: 
Alexander Dallow, experienced content writer. Huge fan of AI, drums, and workout