OpenAI launches Data agent for ChatGPT Work analytics
OpenAI has introduced a Data agent for ChatGPT Work, positioning it as a way for employees to query approved company data, investigate changes and create interactive dashboards through a conversation. The product can connect to Amazon Redshift, Datadog, Google BigQuery, ClickHouse, Databricks, MongoDB, Snowflake and other sources, while also bringing files and documents from Google Drive and SharePoint into an analysis.
The agent is designed for questions such as why sales slowed, where spending is rising, or which issues could affect renewals. Users can refine an investigation with follow-up questions, review evidence behind findings, and turn the resulting analysis into dashboards that teams can edit, share and refresh.
Governed context is central to the product
OpenAI says the Data agent interprets information using an organisation's business terms, metric definitions, custom calculations and data relationships. That context can come from semantic layers and trusted sources including Databricks Genie Ontology, dbt, GitHub, Snowflake Horizon and BI dashboards.
Enterprise administrators control which data connections are available and which roles may use them. Queries apply the existing permissions of the connected account, including restrictions at table, row and column level. This makes access configuration, rather than a separate agent permission model, a key part of how the product is governed.
The launch extends ChatGPT Work office automation capabilities with a data-analysis workflow that can move from a business question to dashboards and approved follow-on actions. ChatGPT Work can recommend next steps, identify people who need to be involved, share findings via Slack or email, and carry out actions only through connected tools that a user approves.
Dashboard workflows span established BI tools
The Data agent can build and interact with dashboards in Omni, Oracle BI, Power BI, Sigma, Tableau and ThoughtSpot. OpenAI says teams can direct work in plain language while remaining in the tools they already use. Brand guidelines can also be supplied to tailor dashboard outputs to an organisation's visual style.
OpenAI reports that nearly all of its product team and more than two-thirds of its go-to-market organisation use data agents in ChatGPT Work to analyse company data. It says its data team supported this use by establishing shared business definitions, access rules and safeguards for sensitive information.
Organisations in the alpha programme, including NTT DATA, Thermo Fisher, ServiceTitan and others, are using the Data agent for sales and spending analysis, reporting-error detection and opportunity or staffing decisions. OpenAI says administrators can enable the Data plugin through Workspace settings, configure relevant source plugins and determine who can access them.
For businesses, the immediate implication is to treat the Data agent as an extension of governed analytics: validate semantic definitions, connected-account permissions and dashboard outputs before giving wider teams access to conversational analysis and approved actions.