TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 is under way at Moscone West in San Francisco, running October 13 to 15, and one of its headline conversations centres on where AI assistants go next.
Alexander Embiricos, the OpenAI product lead for Dots, is appearing on the AI Stage days after the company unveiled the product. Dots is described as an always-on personal AI agent that goes beyond answering prompts.
According to TechCrunch's preview, Dots agents have their own cloud computers, can connect to everyday apps and can keep working toward a goal in the background — a design that would give AI systems far greater ongoing access to users' work and digital lives.
The Disrupt appearance puts that pitch in front of founders and investors at a moment when the industry is shifting from chatbots toward agents that act continuously, raising fresh questions about oversight, permissions and trust alongside the productivity claims.
