In Brendan Jowett’s YouTube video review of OpenAI Dots, the verdict is that Dots is not really a competitor to the other bot they compare it with. Jowett likes Dots’ virtual computer and prefers its interface on design, but recommends using the competing bot instead.
Jowett sees the virtual computer as Dots’ main potential advantage. It lets the agent work through websites in a browser, including sites without a suitable plug-in or API. For Jowett, the question is whether that ability makes up for the features they find missing and the price difference they describe.
Dots wins Jowett’s vote on interface design
Jowett introduces Dots as an agent with a cloud-based virtual computer that can run scheduled tasks in the background. They say they had only just gained access. Its interface looks more playful to them than the competing bot’s, and they prefer Dots’ design. The introduction page shows slide decks and email work as possible uses.
The computer view resembles the other bot’s setup. Jowett also tries a call button twice; it keeps ringing without an answer both times. They tell viewers not to rely on the button at that point.
For a clothing-site task, Jowett asks Dots to check weekly for a sale on a black jacket and send a notification. Dots creates a recurring schedule. During this task, the on-screen activity does not initially update as Jowett expects. They ask Dots about it and call the behavior a glitch.
Jowett does not think the jacket check requires Dots. What interests them more is using its computer to navigate a site. They also point out that a user can close the browser tab and check on the agent from a phone.
An Airbnb search shows the computer’s promise
Jowett dictates a more involved request: search Airbnb for a place in Hawaii for 12 people from Oct. 18–25, with 12 bedrooms, later clarified as 12 full beds. Dots is to check daily at 9 a.m. It asks follow-up questions, opens Airbnb and creates the scheduled search.
Dots applies filters and reports nine listings. Jowett notes that a filter for 12 guests does not establish that a place has 12 bedrooms. The agent later updates the bedroom count to 8+, which Jowett says may be the highest option the site offers. The nine listings are not presented as nine matches for the full bedroom request.
Jowett says Dots should have identified the bedroom filter as the obvious way to narrow the search without being steered toward it. Even so, they call the Airbnb task a good use case and say Dots uses the computer well. Its computer use does not strike them as notably faster or slower than the competing bot’s.
For Jowett, the ability to work through an existing website has appeal when connecting through a plug-in or API would be difficult. They call computer use a significant step for tools of this kind. The Airbnb search gives that view a concrete task: Dots opens the site, works with its filters and sets up a daily check.
OpenAI connections appeal, but Jowett misses multiple bots
The plug-in menu brings another glitch: Jowett cannot scroll through its options. “I'm not too happy with some of these glitches,” Jowett said. They note that Dots is very new, but say the problems still make a poor impression.
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Jowett asks Dots to connect to the Mobbin MCP, a connection to an outside tool, and receives a link to install an official ChatGPT app. When they try an icon-library MCP that is not an official plug-in, Dots directs them to developer settings. Jowett finds the extra setup annoying, though they say the connection seems possible.
They see a benefit for people already using OpenAI’s plug-ins, authenticated services and chat sessions: those connections and existing chat context are available to them in Dots. Jowett also notes that the competing bot can repeat a task from a recording and says Dots does not appear to offer that feature.
The larger gap, in Jowett’s view, is between one bot and several working together. They ask Dots to create another bot and coordinate multiple bots, but cannot find a way to add more than one in the same workspace. The competing bot, Jowett says, can put multiple bots to work together and let them share a computer. They regard Dots’ missing option as a major downside.
A Colosseum sketch earns praise, but not the recommendation
Jowett gives the virtual computer another test, asking Dots to sketch the Roman Colosseum in Photopea. Dots opens the browser app, creates and names a canvas, selects a paintbrush and colors, and draws. Jowett calls the sketch decent and says it was “probably better than what I could sketch on Photoshop, to be honest.”
Jowett presents the sketch as a demonstration, not a practical job they would give Dots. They favor working through the computer interfaces people already use rather than relying on a connection for every task. “I do think that this is a pretty big step, at least just for all these tools,” Jowett said.
That praise does not change their choice between the bots. “I just don't think it has all of the features,” Jowett said. They put Dots access at $200 a month through OpenAI’s Pro plan, against $30 a month for the competing bot. Apart from the benefit of OpenAI’s ecosystem connections, Jowett sees no advantage in choosing Dots at this stage and recommends using the competing bot instead.