Understanding ChatGPT Work

Simon Willison's August 30 account explains OpenAI's ChatGPT Work by what it can do rather than what it is for. In the cloud version Willison tested, Work could run internet-connected code, operate a browser and access files retained from earlier sessions. Those capabilities let a task extend beyond producing an answer into collecting material, processing it and leaving reusable files. The article gives a concrete browser example: extracting headings from a webpage with JavaScript. At the time of writing, Work was available only to paid subscribers.

The article also distinguishes cloud execution from running programs against files on a user's computer. That distinction explains which resources a task can use and where its work happens. Those labels describe execution environments; an update in the article notes that the desktop app can also start cloud work.