Investing.com - New artificial intelligence agents can provide a boost to growth in the gig economy, according to analysts at Bank of America.
In a note to clients on Friday, the analysts led by Michael McGovern argued that these agents -- automated models which help users perform complex tasks without direct human intervention -- can help make ordering on platforms like Uber and Instacart easier.
The comments come after AI heavyweight OpenAI unveiled its "Operator" service on Thursday, which aims to bolster its chatbots in the face of expanding competition.
ChatGPT-maker OpenAI said in a blog post that Operator signifies the "next step" in AI development, "allowing models to use the same tools humans rely on daily and opening the door to a vast range of new applications". OpenAI noted that it is "collaborating" with delivery and ride-hailing services like Instacart (NASDAQ:CART), Uber (NYSE:UBER), and DoorDash (NASDAQ:DASH) to simplify tasks like booking rides and ordering food, the analysts said.
As an example, OpenAI showed that the tool can be prompted to find a recipe for a specific dish and add the necessary ingredients to a grocery cart on Instacart.
The prompt showed that "grocery ordering online could become significantly easier with AI Agents", the analysts at BofA said, adding that they expect Instacart peers like Uber and DoorDash "would likely have [the] most relative benefit". They subsequently backed their "buy" ratings for both DoorDash and Uber.
Operator is currently available to users of Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)-backed OpenAI's $200-per-month Pro subscription tier in the US, the company said.
Developing these type of AI-fueled agents have become a key focus for many business executives keen on unlocking the potential of the nascent technology, Reuters has reported. Elsewhere on Thursday, OpenAI rival Perplexity also launched its own assistant for Android devices.
(Reuters contributed reporting.)