OpenAI launches ChatGPT Work alongside public access to GPT-5.6
OpenAI has made GPT-5.6 available to the public and introduced ChatGPT Work, a tool designed to handle complex projects autonomously.
This release comes roughly two weeks after the Trump administration restricted access to GPT-5.6 for select organisations only. The company now offers the model to everyone, paired with a new agent that operates across apps and files to deliver finished outputs like Word or Excel documents.
One product, many functions
ChatGPT Work combines Codex technology with third-party integrations. It runs for hours on tasks such as turning customer research into a campaign brief, generating marketing assets, and adapting them for different markets while keeping context intact.
The app appears to be a move toward merging ChatGPT and Codex into a single super app. Many of its features already exist in other forms. This resembles Anthropic’s recent shift from Claude Code to Cowork, suggesting a rebrand of a coding tool for general knowledge work.
Similar to Anthropic’s launch of Cowork for web and mobile, likely a preemptive move anticipating ChatGPT Work, OpenAI is rolling out the product gradually on web and mobile. It is available immediately for all users through the desktop app.
Billing is usage-based and scales with task complexity.
Plugins return with a new directory
The biggest addition is a Unified Plugins Directory that bundles third-party integrations in one place. At launch, the directory includes Google Drive, SharePoint, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Gmail, Outlook, Salesforce, Adobe, Zoom, LinkedIn, GitHub, Canva, and Dropbox.
Users can call on specific plugins with an “@” mention or let the system figure out which data source is relevant.
This approach echoes OpenAI’s failed plugin push from 2023. Co-founder Greg Brockman recently admitted those plugins did not work because the models were not ready. With GPT-5.6 behind it, OpenAI expects a different outcome.
OpenAI describes the tool as an agent inside ChatGPT that can operate across apps and files. The product builds on Codex technology, which until now has mostly been reserved for developers.
On security, OpenAI points to an Auto-Review feature where advanced models check important actions before they run. The company says Auto-Review blocked 100 percent of attempts to extract protected data during adversarial red-teaming.
How the rollout and billing work
On web and mobile, Pro, Enterprise, and Edu users get access to ChatGPT Work first. OpenAI says Plus and Business customers will follow in the coming days. Through the ChatGPT desktop app for Mac and Windows, though, the product is available right away for all plans, including the free tier.
As of this writing, the Windows link on the download page still leads to the Codex app.
Usage works differently from standard chat. ChatGPT Work shares the same agent-based consumption pool with Codex, ChatGPT for Excel, and Workspace Agents. How much a task consumes depends on its size, complexity, and the model selected.
Enterprise and Edu admins can use Spend Controls to manage limits at the workspace, group, and individual user levels.
The Codex pricing page lists included quotas and extra credits, though OpenAI notes that the examples there are based on coding tasks and consumption for Work tasks may differ.
Once the quota runs out, some Codex Plus and Pro users can buy more credits, while others have to upgrade or wait for it to reset.
