At OpenAI's recent DevDay, the company showed how ChatGPT is finally turning into the ultimate do-everything system. Among the highlights:
- new models
- the best computer use on the market
- built-in always-on agents (Dots) that work simpler and better than [OpenClaw](/en/news/openclaw-ai-hacks-gym-waitlist) or [Hermes](/en/news/hermes-ai-morning-newspaper)
At the event, Sam Altman gave a long interview to Dan Shipper (The Every podcast). I pulled out the main points about how OpenAI's CEO structures his workflow and actually uses AI.
1. Focus and the Dotty agent
Altman's mornings used to be his most creative time, but as OpenAI grew, they turned into endless firefighting. Now he runs an always-on agent — Dot (he calls his "Dotty"). The agent works as an advanced filter: it prioritizes incoming tasks and only pings Altman when something genuinely critical is on fire. The payoff — reclaimed time for deep focus and family.
2. Building "in his sleep"
Altman uses the agent for rapid prototyping. In practice: before bed, he dictates a long voice note to Dotty with rough thoughts on features. By morning, the agent doesn't just put together several working interface versions for review — it independently executes the next 7 steps of the project.
3. Ultrafast mode and the speed of thought
Sam admitted he only uses coding models in Ultrafast mode. It burns through limits 8x faster than standard, but gives near-instant answers.
The insight: generation latency is critical to the iterative thinking loop. When the response comes instantly, you never lose the thread with the product you're building. Model response speed isn't about saving minutes — it's about keeping the thought process uninterrupted.
4. AI is a Renaissance, not an Industrial Revolution
Industrialization raised living standards but largely turned people into cogs. Altman believes the AI era will look more like the Renaissance: technology will multiply human potential, lower the barrier to building products, and give people back control over their time.
P.S. The Dots rollout has already started (kicked off September 29), but it's going out in waves with tight restrictions. Right now access is live for Pro, Business Premium, and Enterprise tier users — and even they might not get it immediately, it can take a few days. I, for one, still don't have access: probably because my IP is Spanish. Going to try flipping on a US VPN, clearing cookies, and logging back in.