OpenAI Expands ChatGPT Access, Workplace Use and AI Agent Capabilities
OpenAI has announced a series of updates spanning ChatGPT access, workplace adoption, education and AI agents, including unlimited text chats for free users, new models, expanded ChatGPT Work capabilities and an open standard for Agent Plugins. The updates come as ChatGPT reaches 1 billion weekly users, with OpenAI highlighting broader adoption across countries and age groups.
Free ChatGPT Users Get Unlimited Text Chats
OpenAI has introduced unlimited text chats for free ChatGPT users and upgraded the default model to GPT-5.6 Luna, which the company describes as delivering more factual responses. Free users also receive a new Think button for handling more difficult questions.
Plus and Pro subscribers receive access to GPT-5.6 Sol, described as OpenAI’s flagship model, with more focused and consistent responses, fewer mistakes and a slider that allows users to control how much reasoning ChatGPT applies to a response. OpenAI said the changes are intended to expand access to advanced AI capabilities as ChatGPT’s user base reaches 1 billion weekly users.
ChatGPT Use at Work Continues to Grow
OpenAI has also published country-by-country data examining how people use ChatGPT around the world. One of the key findings is the difference between workplace and non-work usage. At work, users are more than twice as likely to use ChatGPT to complete tasks such as writing, coding and analysis than they are outside the workplace.
The data also points to a broader geographical spread of AI adoption. OpenAI said countries across Latin America, Africa and Oceania are narrowing the gap with earlier AI-adopting markets. Usage is also expanding among older users. OpenAI said adoption among people aged over 35 is increasing in almost every country. In France and Czechia, the share of messages from this group increased by more than 10 percentage points over the past year.
New Tools for Students and Educators
OpenAI has introduced two new plugins for students and educators at institutions using ChatGPT Edu. The plugins allow users to apply ChatGPT Work capabilities to course materials and other context they select. The tools are designed to support learning while keeping students and educators in control. They complement OpenAI’s Study Mode, its learning-focused experience within ChatGPT.
The development points to a broader use of generative AI in education, where institutions can provide students with AI tools while maintaining greater control over the information and learning context used by those systems.
OpenAI Introduces Agent Plugin Standard
OpenAI has also introduced Agent Plugins, working with AWS, GitHub and other partners. The initiative uses an open standard designed to provide a common format for building plugins and a consistent way for AI agents to discover them. According to OpenAI, the approach means developers can build a plugin once and make it available to compatible AI agents.
The development is significant as AI systems increasingly move beyond generating responses towards interacting with external tools and services. A common plugin format could make it easier for developers to build capabilities that can work across different compatible AI agents.
AI Moves Further Into Everyday Work
OpenAI’s latest updates highlight how ChatGPT is evolving across consumer, workplace and educational environments while also moving towards a broader agent ecosystem. The company’s own usage data indicates that workplace users are increasingly using ChatGPT for practical tasks rather than simply asking questions, with writing, coding and analysis among the cited use cases.
At the same time, the introduction of a common Agent Plugin standard points towards AI systems that can connect with external services and perform more specialised tasks. Taken together, the developments show OpenAI’s push to make ChatGPT more widely accessible while expanding its role from a conversational AI tool into a platform for work, education and interactions with other software and services.
