ChatGPT's Operator, its new AI agent, is yet to launch in Europe

OpenAI is now opening up ChatGPT’s Operator to (almost) everyone, but not to Europe.

The Microsoft-backed company says that Operator is now available to users in nearly every part of the world, first to the $200/month Pro users in “Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the UK, and most places ChatGPT is available.”

Then, as expected, ChatGPT’s Operator is yet to launch in Europe, and the company is still “working” on it. This follows a similar pattern to previous launches, such as the rollout of its text-to-video model, Sora, and the Deep Search feature.

But the reason for it not launching in Europe has never (really) been an economic one.

The delay follows a familiar pattern, as regulatory hurdles have also kept AI advancements like Meta’s Llama and Apple’s AI features from launching in Europe. While privacy laws like GDPR protect users, they also slow down AI innovation, with a report from Digital Europe highlighting an investment gap in key tech sectors. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman even joked, “Unless you live in Europe/the UK, but that’s not our fault.”

Unlike a regular chatbot, the Operator is designed to perform multi-step tasks without constant user input. It can help with scheduling, customer support, or automating small business processes. The goal is to make AI more useful for everyday work and productivity.

The AI agent is capable of independently performing browser-based tasks like filling forms, ordering groceries, and booking services by interacting with graphical user interfaces (GUIs) using a new model called a Computer-Using Agent (CUA).