OpenAI used its annual developer conference on September 29 to make a clear statement about where it sees the business heading: cheaper and faster models, AI agents that work in the background, and a much bigger presence inside the tools companies already use. Here is what was announced and why it matters.
A cheaper flagship and a faster tier
The headline model is GPT-6.1 Sol, an upgrade to GPT-6 Sol that OpenAI says is strong at agentic coding, computer use and professional work. The company says it offers close to the intelligence of its top Astra model at one-fifth of GPT-6 Sol’s standard token prices. It is available to API customers and to ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu users.
OpenAI also introduced Ultrafast, a premium speed tier that it says can generate tokens up to eight times faster in Codex, around 300 tokens per second, and up to six times faster in the API. GPT-6 Astra Ultrafast is available now for the highest-tier plans, with a Sol version to follow.
Agents that keep working
- Dots: always-on agents that learn what matters to a user and act on their behalf, initially for Pro and Business Premium customers in eligible markets.
- Agents API with computer use: lets developers build agents that operate software, with support for multiple agents, tool search and context compaction.
- Bedrock Managed Agents: built with Amazon so OpenAI-powered agents can run entirely within AWS.
- Decisions API: a limited preview that uses OpenAI’s Luna model to return fixed answers for classification and routing tasks.
Codex grows up
OpenAI’s coding assistant picked up several upgrades. Developers can now run Codex locally, remotely from a phone or in the cloud with reusable environments. The command-line tool gains voice control and a new view for tracking multiple tasks. A Code Review feature in the ChatGPT desktop app summarises changes and can automatically review pull requests on GitHub and merge requests on GitLab, while Codex Security Cloud scans repositories for vulnerabilities and prepares fixes.
ChatGPT becomes a team workspace
Several announcements target office work directly:
- ChatGPT Space, a shared workspace for people, ChatGPT and agents.
- Pages, a collaborative document type, and collaborative slides that export to PowerPoint or Google Slides.
- @ChatGPT in Slack and Microsoft Teams for Business and Enterprise customers.
- A Meetings plugin that takes notes and deletes the audio once a summary is ready.
New plans and a marketplace
A new Pro 500 plan offers 25 times the usage allowance of ChatGPT Plus. “Sign in with ChatGPT” lets subscribers use their plan inside 16 partner tools, including Notion and Vercel. An OpenAI Marketplace will let eligible enterprises apply part of their OpenAI spending commitment to approved partner software from companies such as Figma, Adobe, Salesforce and CrowdStrike.
Why it matters
Price cuts on capable models lower the barrier for startups, while agents that run continuously mark a shift from chat to delegation. The enterprise features put OpenAI in more direct competition with established workplace software providers. Combined with the company’s fast-growing advertising business, DevDay showed OpenAI building revenue streams well beyond subscriptions. More AI coverage is in our Tech section.