A practical field guide from Automation Ace.
Short answer: Dots (OpenAI) is a persistent agent inside ChatGPT that keeps working across connected apps between conversations. Muse (Meta) is a personal agent that browses, makes plans, and carries out tasks on your behalf. Grok Bot (SpaceXSI, formerly xAI) lets teams create named AI teammates that run recurring work and hand tasks to each other. Claude Duet (Anthropic) is a proactive agent that follows up on work and can reach out first; it is in research preview. Pick by where your work already lives and how much the agent should act on its own.
All four were new at the time of writing, and details below come from launch announcements and early coverage. Expect names, availability, and features to change.
Short answer
- Dots: always-on agents for ChatGPT users.
- Muse: a consumer-friendly personal agent for plans and errands.
- Grok Bot: AI teammates for recurring team operations.
- Claude Duet: a proactive agent for work email, calendar, and follow-ups.
Side-by-side comparison
| Dots | Muse | Grok Bot | Claude Duet | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maker | OpenAI | Meta | SpaceXSI (formerly xAI) | Anthropic |
| Where it lives | Inside ChatGPT | Its own app, web, and WhatsApp (per coverage) | A team product with named bots | Its own app on web and mobile |
| Core idea | A persistent agent that keeps working between conversations | A personal agent that plans and carries out tasks for you | Named AI teammates that own recurring work and hand off to each other | A proactive agent that brings you what needs attention and follows up |
| How it works on things | Its own cloud computer and browser, plus connected apps | A persistent, isolated computer with a browser, plus connectors | Bots share a cloud computer with files, browser sessions, and app logins | Monitors connected apps such as email and calendar |
| Memory | Shares ChatGPT memory and builds its own | Remembers what matters to you | Keeps role context and summaries of prior work | Carries over memory and connections from your Claude account |
| Checks with you | Background research mode is read-only; local computer access is a separate, approved connection | Asks before sending emails or purchases; shows an audit trail | Varies by bot setup; human review is part of described workflows | Checks with you before acting on your behalf |
| Best fit | People who already work in ChatGPT and connected apps | Personal tasks, planning, and errands | Teams with repetitive operational jobs | Professionals who want a proactive chief-of-staff style agent |
| Status at launch | Rolling out to eligible paid ChatGPT plans | Launched in the US, by coverage | Early beta | Research preview with a waitlist for US Pro and Max subscribers |
Dots (OpenAI)
According to launch coverage, Dots are always-on agents in ChatGPT that remember ongoing work, use your connected apps, and keep making progress between conversations, each with its own cloud computer and browser. Proactive background research is described as read-only in connected apps, and access to your local computer is an optional connection you approve separately. Coverage also mentions OpenAI testing specialist Dots with their own identities for company systems. Best for people and teams already working in ChatGPT.
Muse (Meta)
Meta describes Muse as a personal AI agent that can answer questions, browse the web, complete tasks, create documents, and connect to apps through connectors. It works in a persistent, isolated computer with a browser, builds plans toward goals you share, keeps working after you close the app, and comes back when it needs approval, such as before sending an email or making a purchase. Coverage notes it shows an audit trail of what it has done and plans to do. Best for personal planning, research, and errands.
Grok Bot (SpaceXSI)
Grok Bot lets you create named bots, each with a job and a description of how it should work, that take ownership of repetitive operational work. SpaceXSI's examples include a sales bot that updates the CRM and drafts follow-ups, an ops bot that processes invoices, and an engineering bot that files a bug and hands the fix to a debugging bot. Its docs describe bots sharing one cloud computer, including files, browser sessions, and app logins, which makes handoffs easier and makes permissions planning more important. It entered early beta in 2026; pricing has been reported but check current terms.
Claude Duet (Anthropic)
Anthropic describes Claude Duet as an app where Claude works as a proactive agent: it comes to you with what needs your attention, completes tasks you ask of it, keeps working when you step away, and checks with you before it acts on your behalf. Coverage describes a morning brief built from email and calendar, memory and connections carried over from your Claude account, and safeguards such as keeping passwords and sign-in tokens away from the agent and checking actions before they run. At the time of writing it was a research preview with a waitlist for US Pro and Max subscribers.
Which fits your workflow?
| If your workflow is… | Look first at |
|---|---|
| Already centered on ChatGPT and its connected apps | Dots |
| Personal: plans, research, bookings, errands across the web | Muse |
| Team operations with recurring jobs and handoffs between roles | Grok Bot |
| Inbox and calendar heavy, wanting a daily brief and follow-ups | Claude Duet |
| Built on business systems with fixed rules and volume | Workflow automation (Zapier, Make, n8n) with an agent on top |
How to evaluate any personal AI agent
- Where does it work? Your apps, a cloud computer, your local machine, or all three.
- What can it do without asking? Read, draft, send, buy, delete.
- How does it ask? Clear approvals before external or irreversible actions.
- What can you see afterward? An audit trail of actions and reasons.
- What does it remember, and can you edit or delete that memory?
- Whose accounts does it use? Personal logins, shared logins, or its own identity.
- What does it cost at your usage, and what are the limits?
For a deeper framework, see permissions, approvals, and audit trails for AI agents and what to delegate to an AI agent.
Where workflow automation still fits
Personal agents are best at judgment and coordination. High-volume, rule-based business processes are still cheaper and more reliable as workflows in tools like Zapier, Make, or n8n. The strongest setups pair them: the agent decides and coordinates, workflows execute. See from chatbots to always-on agents and pairing an agent with your automations.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Dots, Muse, Grok Bot, and Claude Duet?
Dots is OpenAI’s persistent agent inside ChatGPT that keeps working across connected apps. Muse is Meta’s personal agent that browses, plans, and carries out tasks. Grok Bot from SpaceXSI lets teams create named AI teammates for recurring work that hand tasks to each other. Claude Duet is Anthropic’s proactive agent, in research preview, that follows up on work and checks with you before acting.
Which personal AI agent is best for business?
It depends on where your work lives. ChatGPT-centered teams may start with Dots, teams with recurring operational jobs may look at Grok Bot, and people whose work runs through email and calendar may look at Claude Duet. High-volume, rule-based processes still belong in workflow automation tools.
Are these AI agents available now?
At the time of writing, Dots was rolling out to eligible paid ChatGPT plans, Muse had launched in the US according to coverage, Grok Bot was in early beta, and Claude Duet was a research preview with a waitlist for US Pro and Max subscribers. Check each maker for current availability.
How should I compare personal AI agents?
Compare where each works, what it can do without asking, how it requests approval, what audit trail it provides, what it remembers, whose accounts it uses, and what it costs at your usage.
Do personal AI agents replace Zapier or Make?
No. Agents are strongest at judgment and coordination; workflow tools are cheaper and more reliable for high-volume, rule-based processes. Many teams pair them, with the agent deciding and workflows executing.
Disclaimer: Dots, Muse, Grok Bot, and Claude Duet were new, rolling out, or in beta or research preview at the time of writing; descriptions reflect launch announcements and coverage, and features, availability, and pricing change quickly, so confirm current details with each maker. Automation Ace is not affiliated with these companies. This article may include links to apps, products, or services; some links may be affiliate links, which means Automation Ace may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.