OpenAI recently announced Operator, an AI agent designed to perform tasks on the web.
After testing it (yes, I paid the $200 bucks, but, more importantly, I kept the subscription🤯), this is a game-changer, but not for the reason you think.
This article will probably get me in trouble with my business partner.
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I’m about to snitch on myself for your benefit. 😩
I’m going to tell you the secret sauce behind how our ecom business generates millions in revenue and how Operator can help.
In this article, I’ll break down:
- What Operator is and why it matters
- The good, the bad, and the ugly of using it
- Three ways you can turn Operator into a side hustle
Grab a pen and paper if you’re into this kind of stuff. You’ll want to take notes. 🧐
Quick intro
To understand why this is a game changer, first, you must understand who I am and what I do for a living.
If you are new to my work, my name is Lesterbut you can call me Les.
As a founder, I have a successful exit to my name. I am the exec chairman for a group ecom brands but I’m a performance marketer at heart.
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It’s no secret that data and insights are what I love. We operate more like an ecom company than a data one. Our secret sauce? Combining data and insights to generate revenue.
Are you interested in leveraging AI and emerging tech to improve your workflow or generate revenues? Check out my free newsletter: No Fluff Just FactualI break down what is working in the world of AI along with actionable insights to implement… I explain what works in the world AI, along with actionable insight to implement… no fluff just facts (see?
But that’s enough about me. I must tell you why Operator will change the game!
What’s Operator and why it is a game changer?
It helps US-based PRO browser users perform browser tasks like filling out forms or ordering groceries. It can also help you create memes. It interacts with websites by clicking, typing and scrolling, just like a person.
Operator is powered by a new AI model called Computer Using Agent, combined with GPT-4 vision and advanced reasoning capabilities. This is how it can understand what’s happening on a site.
I’m going to share some opportunities with you now that you are all caught up.
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Users are most concerned with the price. It’s a big jump from the $20 plan to $200 per month. Many users don’t think the upgrade is worth it. This is a valid concern.
Instead of comparing the plan to the cheaper one, I compare it with the amount of time and resources that it can save.
Validating ideas, visiting websites, looking at trends and documenting them is a big part of my job. Although this is not a good use of my time, it’s still necessary and costs money, whether I do it by myself or hire someone to do it.
While $200 is a lot, especially in these economic times, the alternative could cost you thousands of dollars a month and tens or thousands of dollars yearly. Operator is a tool that allows small business owners to automate their processes without having to hire or pay a developer.
There are online tools which can perform similar tasks, but this is another tool that needs to be learned. OpenAI is already a part of my workflow so having everything in one location is helpful.
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The Operator is a fantastic tool to handle the mundane and time-consuming tasks that I don’t like to do.
For $200 dollars?
Pffft. Operator, go ahead.
Please let me know when you are done or if I am needed.
Our imagination is the biggest limitation, not Operator.
I use Operator
Ah, yes, this is why my business partner may beat me.
I’ll start by explaining the core of every business.
The majority of businesses are based on arbitrage. This can be a product that is purchased at a lower price and sold at a higher one, or a service offered at a lower price than the cost to deliver. The core of what you do is the same whether you are selling a service or a product.
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Once we understand that, we can dive into how we build our businesses.
Amazon is a popular place to purchase products, but we use it to validate new product ideas.
Say we have a great idea for a funny scented candle. We check Amazon to see if it already exists. If it exists, we document such things as:
- Name of the product
- Cost
- Sales ranking
This information is critical. The arbitrage is then sourcing that product and introducing it to our audience.
Bonus tip: We do not just copy. We look at how a product can be improved and offer our audience the new and improved version on our website.
Make sense?
Now that we have that out of the way, let me explain how we used Operator. 😎
As I mentioned, part of the job is endless scrolling — looking and looking. I instructed Operator to do my product research for me.
Here is the exact prompt I used:
“I need you to go to www.amazon.com and search ‘funny candles.’ I then need you to tell me the price and name of each listing. Then, I need you to tell me the sales rank for the first 48 product listings.”
After a CAPTCHA and a little finessing with the prompt, I got the exact output I needed.
Operator was able to handle the most critical role in our business, which is product research.
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It freed up my time and allowed me to focus on things like talking to customers. 👨💻
Nobody likes doing these types of tasks as they are monotonous and tedious. It’s all the “ous-es” you can think of.
But it is vital for staying ahead.
Operator did it autonomously for the most part.
Like I said, it’s a game changer.The good, the bad, and the kind of ugly
The good👍
- I like the fact that I can operate independently without having to wait for a coworker or a developer to help. If you are anything like me, you know exactly what I mean by that. I would rather wash my eyes with bleach than wait for someone.
- I also love that I can speak, and it appears. I do not have to write a fancy brief or send ten gazillion emails to get what I want.
- I love the fact that it is centralized. I don’t need ten apps and integrations to do one thing. I allow it to log into things like Google Sheets and copy the info.
The bad👎
- It’s not all the way there. It is AI. It does weird AI stuff, like hallucinating and providing incorrect and nonsensical information. I stay patient and keep it pushing.
- It’s slow, but still faster than me at getting the job done. Honestly, I can’t even call that a real complaint.
- It was asking me for confirmation way too much. This meant Operator would stop and sit there waiting for my input while I was off living my best life. Time wasted. To combat this, I turned on notifications to see if that improves the time between confirmations. I will let you know how it goes.
The kinda ugly🥴
Sure, there are flaws and things that could be better, but at this moment, the real issue is me. I wish I could think of even more creative ways to use it.
To be clear, I’m not talking about everyday stuff like grocery shopping. That’s table stakes.
I mean, how do I get this thing to 10x my business while I am on vacation? 🙃
How to make money with OpenAI Operator
With any emerging technology, there will always be a group of people who:
- Need help implementing
- Do not have the time to do it themselves
There’s potential to build a business around either of these scenarios. 🤑
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In my humble opinion, this is a great place to start, especially if you are an early mover, as it could position you as the go-to resource.
That said, here are a few more ideas on how you can use Operator to generate income.
1. AI automation as a service
Offer automation services to businesses that want to streamline repetitive tasks like data entry, email responses, or customer support.
2. AI-powered lead generation and sales automation
Use Operator to send personalized messages to potential leads on LinkedIn about your product or service.
3. AI-powered e-commerce
Use Operator to automatically list, update, and optimize product listings on eBay, Amazon, or Shopify.
These are just a few ideas, but the biggest opportunity is using Operator to enhance what we are already doing.
Rather than looking for some magical new opportunity, the best move is to integrate it into your current workflow.
Operator is a tool that makes us more efficient and provides an opportunity to win back some of our time.
The real opportunity is looking within and asking yourself, what can AI help me do? 🤔
As I mentioned earlier, it really comes down to your imagination and how you use it in your existing workflow or even how you create a new one.
The critics aren’t wrong about its limitations, but the tool is still incredibly powerful. Unlocking its full potential just requires a bit of creativity and a willingness to work around its constraints.
Writing the technology off entirely because it is not there yet is unwise. 😞
My two cents
So, is Operator worth it?
Like most things in life, it depends. 🫤
The price of $200 is relative and depends on how you use it.
If you are using it to book your Airbnb or something like that, I am hard-pressed to find any reason to justify paying $200 for the luxury of not doing it yourself (unless this is your job).
I can see a future where Operator, when used effectively, becomes one of the best business assets in your toolkit by automating repetitive tasks.
However, it’s not a magic fix. You still need to build a strong business by solving real problems and maintaining solid unit economics.
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We are not at a place where AI can do everything for us. A do-it-with-me approach would be the better way to look at it.
All that said, I am bullish on Operator as a business tool and look forward to seeing where it goes.
😇 Hope this helps; I am rooting for you.
By the way, if you want to learn more about leveraging AI or emerging tech to optimize your workflow or generate revenue, check out my free newsletter, No Fluff, Just FactsI explain what’s working in the world AI, and give you some actionable insights that you can implement. If this is your jam and you want to be besties for life, Click here to registerIt’s completely free.
