OpenAI unveils GPT-6.1 Sol and ‘Dots’ AI agents at DevDay

On September 29, 2026, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman unveiled GPT-6.1 Sol at the company's DevDay conference in San Francisco. The lower-cost model positions itself as a powerful alternative for coding and building, offering "very near-Astra-level intelligence at a fifth of the price." Mr. Altman highlighted the model's ability to reuse context, iterate on solutions, and handle longer tasks while being more affordable.

Positioned as a "daily workhorse," Sol boasts a 1.05-million-token context window and the capacity to generate up to 128,000 tokens in a response. It supports various tools such as web search, file search, code interpretation, hosted shell, computer use, image generation, skills, and Model Context Protocol (MCP), and can be accessed via OpenAI's Responses API with function calling and structured outputs.

Additionally, OpenAI showcased UltraFast, an accelerated API offering that triples the speed of Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol, with the latter available as an UltraFast variant. During the event, Dots, always-on AI agents powered by GPT-6 Astra, were also introduced. These agents possess their own cloud computers, can integrate with over 4,000 applications, and can manage multiple projects without direct user intervention.

To be accessed through ChatGPT, Slack, and Microsoft Teams, Dots will also undergo enterprise trials with specialized versions for specific duties. OpenAI is collaborating with Microsoft to ensure compliance with security and governance controls within Agent 365.

Notably, the announcements followed OpenAI's decision to postpone the release of GPT-6.1 Astra, according to The Wall Street Journal. This shelving was attributed to safety and alignment concerns raised during internal testing, including issues with scope adherence and user action communication. OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, expressed reservations about AI being described as a new industrial revolution, arguing that it should not merely automate people into "cogs in a giant machine."

Instead, he envisioned AI as a catalyst for a "new renaissance," empowering individuals to take control of their lives and fostering creation, learning, discovery, and knowledge expansion.