OpenAI’s ChatGPT Work targets the office agent market

TL;DR:

  • OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Work, an agent that fuses its chatbot with its Codex coding tool to build documents, presentations and websites for non-coders.
  • The product is a direct answer to Anthropic’s Claude Cowork and Microsoft’s Copilot Cowork, escalating the contest for enterprise AI budgets.
  • It rolls out first to Pro, Enterprise and Edu users before reaching Plus and Business.

OpenAI has unveiled ChatGPT Work, pitched as a way for white-collar staff to tap coding-grade AI without needing to code. Announced alongside the GPT-5.6 model that powers it, the app builds documents, slide decks and websites from plain instructions, and marks OpenAI’s clearest move yet into the agentic tools its rivals launched first.

The enterprise agent war

ChatGPT Work is a direct response to Anthropic’s Claude Cowork, the autonomous multi-step agent launched in January, and to Microsoft’s Copilot Cowork. All three target the same user: someone who wants the output of AI coding tools without the specialised knowledge they demand. OpenAI stressed that its version would be cheaper and more widely available, launching three sizes of GPT-5.6 so customers can dial cost against capability. A new desktop app and a hosted-websites feature round out the release.

The timing is pointed. Both OpenAI and Anthropic are preparing for possible public offerings and are fighting for enterprise contracts, which are far more lucrative than consumer subscriptions. The competition also lands as Meta pushes its own coding model and concedes its agents have lagged expectations — a reminder that shipping a capable office agent is harder than demoing one.

Looking forward

ChatGPT Work rolls out on web and mobile to Pro, Enterprise and Edu users first, expanding to Plus and Business over the following days. For UK businesses, the practical question is no longer whether an AI agent can draft a report but which vendor’s agent to standardise on — and at what running cost. With three near-identical “Cowork”-style products now in market, differentiation will come down to price, reliability and how cleanly each plugs into existing workflows rather than headline capability.

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