OpenAI’s Operator has recently made a stunning debut. What does this so-called “fully automated” browser AI agent aim to do? It tackles those tedious, repetitive real-world tasks, such as web searches, data organization, and even interactions on online platforms. Doesn’t it sound like we can finally free our hands?
But the ideal is beautiful, while reality is harsh. Are we truly standing at the starting point of the AI agent revolution? Or is this merely a cool concept that is far from practical? I personally experienced Operator’s performance, and the results left me both amused and sighing.
What is OpenAI’s Operator?
Simply put, Operator is an AI agent tool. Unlike those frameworks that require APIs or predefined systems, Operator combines natural language processing with the so-called Computer-Using Agent (CUA) technology. It can mimic human operations in a browser, including executing visual tasks via GPT-4o (such as viewing screenshots), as well as simulating mouse clicks and keyboard input.
Theoretically, you only need to give it a goal, such as “find 50 financial influencers on YouTube,” and it will open the browser, automatically start searching, collect data, and even organize the results into a table. Sounds very advanced, right?
But theory is just theory; in practice… well, it’s quite a story.
Operator’s Performance: A Harrowing Real-World Test
To test Operator’s capabilities, I assigned it a so-called “real-world level” task: list 50 popular financial YouTubers, including their LinkedIn information, email addresses, and channel descriptions, all organized in a table format. This task isn’t overly complex, but it’s enough to test the capabilities of an automation tool.
Here’s how it performed:
1. Initial Stage: A Stunning Start, Seemingly Limitless Potential
In its first step, Operator showed quite a bit of promise. It opened the browser, used Bing to search keywords, visited several web pages, and attempted to compile a list of financial influencers. The entire operation appeared very “intelligent”, leading one to believe it was about to showcase its capabilities.
2. Midway: Talent Drops Off, Gradually Going Off Course
However, within five minutes, problems began to emerge. Operator did not prioritize searching for influencer information on YouTube (where influencer profiles usually contain email and social media links), but instead got stuck on the search engine results page, struggling to discern credible information.
3. Major Downfall: Fabricating Data
If you thought it was just a matter of poor search strategy, you underestimated it. The most severe issue is that Operator tends to “fabricate” data—something the AI community refers to as “hallucination”. For example, it generated a bunch of LinkedIn profiles and email addresses, but this information was entirely made up. If I hadn’t double-checked, I might have believed it had found some mysterious resources.
4. Slow as a Snail, Frustratingly Inefficient
Moreover, Operator’s operational speed is torturous. Each click or scroll takes 1-2 seconds, and watching it “work hard” feels akin to observing an elderly lady with severe arthritis typing on a typewriter. Worse still, when it encounters obstacles (like needing to log into Google Sheets), it doesn’t seek help but instead stares blankly and wastes time.
What Are Operator’s Shortcomings?
1. Lack of Logic, Extremely Weak Decision-Making Ability
Choosing to use Bing to search for influencers instead of directly visiting YouTube made me shake my head. If AI can’t even think to “prioritize searching in the most information-dense place,” it’s hardly intelligent, let alone smart.
2. Data Fabrication, Negative Credibility
The so-called LinkedIn information and email addresses are purely fabricated. It didn’t verify the authenticity of any data and directly misled you with false information. If these were used in a business context, it would be akin to the beginning of a disaster movie.
3. Sluggish, Efficiency Is Nonexistent
Claiming to be an “automated” tool, yet operating so slowly is infuriating. If I did it manually, I might even be faster!
The Future of AI Agents: Beautiful Ideal, Cruel Reality
The goal of an AI agent like Operator is enticing: to automate those time-consuming and boring tasks. Imagine handing over a day’s tedious work to AI, and after a few hours, it presents you with a flawless result; it sounds so dreamy!
But the reality is that Operator’s performance is frustrating: it’s slow as a turtle, lacks logic, and often speaks nonsense. If you use it for tasks requiring precise information, it may complicate things further.
Of course, this doesn’t mean Operator is without hope. It indeed demonstrates a possibility: AI can autonomously browse the web, click buttons, and gather information, which is already a technological miracle. We just need more time for the technology to evolve faster, smarter, and more reliable.
What Needs to Be Overcome for AI Agents?
For future versions of Operator to become truly practical, they must address the following issues:
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1. Deep Tool Integration: For instance, seamless login to Google Sheets or LinkedIn, so users don’t need to operate manually. -
2. Enhanced Data Validation: Ensure the generated information is real and accurate, rather than fabricating stories. -
3. Speed Improvement: Who has time to watch a “high-tech” tool operate slowly? -
4. More Human-like Problem-Solving Ability: Proactively seek help when encountering obstacles or adjust strategies instead of mindlessly hitting a wall.
The Future?
OpenAI’s Operator is an early attempt at future AI agents. Although it is still far from mature, the concept itself is already cool. However, based on its current performance, it’s still just a visually appealing unfinished product, with a long way to go before it can truly replace humans in completing complex tasks.
Good news as the New Year approaches: your job is still safe, and you don’t have to worry about being replaced by AI next month. However, in a few years, these tools might completely revolutionize how we handle tasks. Whether they can deliver on these exciting promises remains to be seen.