(Image credit: Future/ChatGPT)
OpenAI launched ChatGPT-6 Astra Thursday and it has already proven to be dramatically better at coding, computer use, research and other complex tasks, while OpenAI President Greg Brockman has even suggested its arrival could mark the beginning of the AGI era.But when a new model arrives, particularly of this caliber, one question is on the minds of many: What am I actually supposed to do with it?Sure, you could use it just as you have used other ChatGPT models to write an email, plan dinner or explain something you don't understand. It will almost certainly do those things very well. But you'd also be using one of OpenAI's most capable models to do essentially the same jobs you were giving ChatGPT yesterday.Astra is built for something more ambitious. Instead of answering one question and waiting for the next, it can take on longer, more complicated jobs, work through multiple steps and keep going as it gets closer to the result you asked for.So if you want to find out what has actually changed, I think there's a much better way to begin. And you only need one prompt to get started.What is GPT-6 Astra?
(Image credit: Shutterstock)GPT-6 Astra is OpenAI's latest frontier model and the successor to GPT-5.6 Sol. As you'd expect from a new generation of GPT, it performs better across many of the benchmarks OpenAI uses to measure reasoning, coding and other capabilities.Astra has been designed to handle much longer jobs that can involve planning, research, computer use and repeated attempts to get something right. It can navigate websites and software, keep track of what it is trying to accomplish and continue working through a problem rather than handing every step back to you.That's a pretty big change in how you might use ChatGPT. Previous versions were primarily something you worked with. Astra is something you can give work to.Sign up to the Tom's AI Guide weekly newsletter summing up all the biggest AI news you need to know. Plus, analysis from our AI editors and tips on how to use the latest AI tools!Who can use GPT-6 Astra?
