Imagine preparing for a team meeting while also seeing clients, writing notes, and planning therapy. A tool that gathers approved information and prepares a draft summary could help with this workload. For therapists, the key question is how Dots might help without taking over clinical decisions.
OpenAI introduced Dots in September 2026 as persistent agents powered by GPT-6 Astra, with cloud computers and access to connected tools. The company describes them as able to handle recurring work and follow up through ChatGPT, text message, email and Slack.
The table below outlines four functions that may be relevant to therapists, along with practical examples of how they could be used:
| Function | What it can do | Practical example |
| 🔍 1. Research & organize information | Search connected sources, review documents, summarize findings, compare information, and identify relevant updates. | Ask it to organize research papers about executive functions in children, summarize key findings, and prepare a list of sources for you to verify. |
| 📋 2. Manage ongoing projects | Follow a project over time, track progress, identify unfinished tasks, adapt plans when priorities change, and remind you about next steps. | Ask it to manage your next month of occupational therapy Instagram content, track which posts are drafted, and suggest what needs to be completed next. |
| ✍️ 3. Create content & documents | Draft, revise, and update documents, presentations, reports, newsletters, and social media content. It can carry your feedback across related materials. | Give it an interview transcript about AI in therapy and ask it to prepare a newsletter, several social media drafts, and a summary for therapists. |
| ⚙️ 4. Automate workflows | Use connected apps and its own computer to carry out multistep tasks, work with files, and follow through on approved actions. | Ask it to review relevant emails, organize project documents, prepare a draft response, and ask for your approval before sending it. |
However, clinical information needs context. A change in a client’s performance may relate to pain, fatigue, the environment, or personal goals. A Dot might organize the information but miss why it matters. Therapists must check its work and decide what the information means.
It is safest to begin with tasks that are simple, low-risk, and easy to check. For example, a team could ask a Dot to draft a meeting agenda or summarize de-identified attendance data. It should not independently assess a client, recommend treatment, or send clinical advice.
Privacy also needs careful attention. Before using a Dot, therapists should check workplace rules, what information it can access, and how that information is handled. Patient details should only be used in systems approved by the organization, with clear permission and safeguards. OpenAI says Dots may retain context from conversations and connected apps while the Dot exists, so teams should understand data handling before use.
Researchers may use Dots to flag missing information or prepare draft project updates. But a Dot should not change study data or replace the planned research methods. Researchers need to check its work and keep a clear record of how results were produced.
AI can make mistakes, leave out important details, or reflect bias in the information it uses. Because its answers may sound convincing, users should not assume they are correct. Therapists and researchers remain responsible for checking the output, protecting information, and making decisions.
Dots may be useful when they take on routine work while people stay in control. Teams can start with one small task and check whether the tool is accurate, saves time, and fits their workflow. The goal is not to automate care, but to reduce some of the work around care so therapists can focus on clients.