OpenAI May Release an Always-On AI Assistant Called “o” at the DevDay 2026 Event

OpenAI appears to be testing a new always-on ChatGPT assistant called “o,” according to findings from TestingCatalog and a report from BleepingComputer. References to the unreleased assistant have reportedly started appearing in ChatGPT, suggesting OpenAI could be preparing a bigger announcement around its upcoming DevDay event on September 29 (tomorrow).

OpenAI’s “o” could turn ChatGPT into an always-on assistant

The upgrade screen is not the only place where “o” has appeared. References found in ChatGPT reportedly list “o” as the display name, along with “-o” as an email suffix. That could point to something more persistent than a regular ChatGPT conversation. Instead of opening ChatGPT, asking a question and waiting for an answer, an always-on assistant could potentially keep working on tasks after the user has left the chat.

The exact capabilities are still unclear, but the current reports point toward longer-running tasks such as research, communications and other work that could continue in the background. OpenAI has not confirmed those features yet.

OpenAI positioning “o” as an always-on assistant would fit with the company’s broader push toward agents that can do more than simply respond to individual prompts. ChatGPT is already moving further into coding, research and longer-running workflows, and “o” could take that idea into a more persistent assistant experience.

OpenAI has not officially announced “o” yet

OpenAI has not officially announced “o” or confirmed its capabilities, release date, pricing or availability. In fact, engineering and product lead for Codex and core products at OpenAI, Thibault Sottiaux aka @tibo on X, has been teasing it since last few days. So, it may be imminent.