The future is here… kind of. I recently dove into the new ChatGPT Agent functionality, and while it's jaw-droppingly cool in some scenarios, it also exposed some major limitations that make it not quite the digital life assistant we’ve been hoping for. Yet.

Here’s a rundown of my real-world tests, what worked, what didn’t, and what it means for anyone curious about putting AI in the driver's seat of their digital life.

🤖 Highlight: Booking an Appointment Like a Pro

One of the most successful tests I ran was using the Agent to book an appointment on my public calendar.

• ✅ It scanned available times.

• ✅ Chose a date within my requested range.

• ✅ Completed a three-step process including form submission.

• ✅ And best of all, it asked for my confirmation before finalizing anything.

Implication:
This kind of AI-assisted task automation is extremely promising. It’s like having a reliable virtual assistant — as long as you’re ready to guide it at key points. That final confirmation step is a wise safety net, but users expecting a “set it and forget it” experience will likely be frustrated. It’s semi-autonomous, not fully hands-off.

📊 Where It Struggled: Research & Decision-Making

I tasked the Agent with planning a family cruise, asking it to balance budget and luxury while avoiding holidays and my son's college move-in date.

• 🔄 It needed extra info (like the name of the college) to move forward.

• 📋 It delivered a list of five options with accurate filtering.

• 🤔 But it stopped short of recommending the “best” one, which was disappointing.

• 🔗 The final report was hosted on a link, rather than embedded in the chat.

Implication:
Agents are great researchers, but not decision-makers (yet). They don’t have the judgment or intuition to confidently select “the best” option based on nuanced criteria. They also lean on external tools and links rather than delivering polished summaries natively.

🔐 Major Limitation: No Access to Memory

Here’s where things got frustrating. While using the Agent, I asked it to reference my business name — something already stored in my ChatGPT memory.

• ❌ It couldn’t recall it.

• ❌ It couldn’t pull up any persistent memory info unless I retyped it in that session.

• 🔁 I tested it in multiple threads, new and old — same issue.

• ✅ Switching back to the standard GPT-4o model restored full access to saved details.

Implication:
Currently, Agents operate without access to your personal memory, which kills their potential as smart personal assistants. You’ll need to repeat info over and over again — ironic for a tool that’s supposed to save time.

📱 The Mobile Letdown: Authentication & Access Issues

I ran into limitations using the mobile version:

• ❌ Couldn’t “take control” to log into Facebook.

• ❌ Failed to view even public-facing assets like a business page banner without extra prompting.

• 🔄 Repeated back-and-forths were needed to clarify basic info.

Implication:
The mobile experience is severely hampered by login restrictions, bot blockers (like Cloudflare), and a lack of native browser control. Without the “take control” feature, automation is extremely limited.

⚠️ Sensitive Site Warning: You Must Watch the Agent Work

One unexpected limitation is that when the Agent detects a site containing sensitive data — think personal info, social platforms, payment gateways — it will display a warning and pause operations if:

• You close the window

• You minimize the browser

• Or you switch to another tab or app

In those moments, you’ll see a message stating that you must actively monitor the task and stop it immediately if something goes wrong.

Implication:
This removes one of the most promising aspects of Agents — the ability to run tasks in the background. If you’re forced to sit and babysit the process, especially on sensitive tasks, you’re not really saving time — just outsourcing clicks while remaining glued to your screen.

🖥️ Where It Shined: Desktop + Take Control

This is where the magic happened.

• ✅ I logged into Facebook using desktop and enabled “Take Control.”

• ✅ The Agent accessed my account, scanned notifications, summarized messages and events.

• ✅ I pasted a screenshot into the chat and told it to make a live Facebook post.

• ✅ It wrote a caption, attached the image, and — after asking for approval — successfully posted it.

Implication:
With full desktop access, this is where the Agent felt like real AI-powered automation. It combined text, images, browser control, and posting functionality seamlessly. It made me feel like I had a full-time assistant on command.

🐌 Performance Notes: Slowdowns & Multi-Agent Use

I tried running multiple agents in different windows and noticed:

• 🐢 Progressive slowdowns over time.

• 🧠 Agents taking longer to process steps, often trial-and-erroring in the background.

Implication:
Agents are still early-stage and not optimized for high-volume multitasking. Background operations are possible — but performance drops if you get too ambitious.

Final Verdict: Not Fully Autonomous, But Genuinely Useful

🚀 What’s Great:

• Performs multi-step tasks like booking, posting, and filling out forms.

• Can handle real-time web browsing and interactions when given access.

• Allows human-level interaction with desktop tools and websites.

• Continues working even when you navigate away from the chat — unless the site is sensitive.

⚠️ What’s Limiting:

• No memory access during Agent runs.

• Mobile lacks critical features like “Take Control.”

• Can’t navigate restricted sites or gated content easily.

• Still requires user intervention at almost every step.

• Slows down noticeably with multitasking or complex tasks.

• Sensitive site monitoring prevents fully passive use.

Should You Use It?

Absolutely — but with the right expectations.

If you're looking for a helpful assistant to knock out repetitive digital tasks while you're doing something else, the ChatGPT Agent is a massive step forward. But if you're hoping to walk away and let it fully run your digital life, you’re not quite there yet.

Still… seeing it book a calendar appointment and post on Facebook with an image I didn’t even save?

That felt like the future.