What is an always-on agent?
An always-on agent is an AI assistant that keeps working when you are away. A regular chat with ChatGPT or Claude stops as soon as the answer is on screen. An always-on agent has its own computer in the cloud, keeps an eye on your email and calendar, picks up tasks and gets in touch with you when it needs you. You can close your laptop.
Within three months, each of the three big AI companies launched one:
- Grok Bot from xAI, on 11 August 2026
- ChatGPT dots from OpenAI, on 29 September 2026
- Claude Duet from Anthropic, on 21 October 2026
They are very similar. The differences lie in availability, price and where your data ends up. Those three points decide whether a Dutch business can do anything with them.
The three side by side
| Claude Duet | ChatGPT dots | Grok Bot | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maker | Anthropic | OpenAI | xAI (part of SpaceX) |
| Launched | 21 October 2026 | 29 September 2026 | 11 August 2026 |
| Status | Research preview with waitlist | Gradual rollout, generally available for Enterprise | Beta |
| Model | Claude Opus 5.5 | GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Terra | Not disclosed |
| Runs on | Its own virtual machine with browser | Its own computer with browser | One Linux computer for all your Bots, with browser and terminal |
| Talk to it via | Its own app on iOS, Android and web | ChatGPT, Slack, Microsoft Teams | App, Slack, X Chat |
| Included in | Claude Pro, Max, Ultra | ChatGPT Pro and Business Premium; Enterprise separately | X Premium, Super, Ultra, paid Cursor plans |
| Microsoft 365 | Not yet | Outlook and Teams | Outlook and SharePoint |
| In the Netherlands | No | Via Business Premium and Enterprise | Yes, with the computers in the US |
All details come from the pages of Anthropic, OpenAI and xAI themselves (as of 6 November 2026). You will find more detail in the separate explainer for each product: what is Claude Duet, what are ChatGPT dots and what is Grok Bot.
What can you use from the Netherlands?
Claude Duet: not yet
During the research preview, Duet is only available in the United States, via a waitlist, for Claude Pro, Max and Ultra. Anthropic gives no date for Europe. Team and Enterprise plans will follow later.
ChatGPT dots: through a business plan
A personal Pro plan does not give you a dot: OpenAI excludes Pro in the EEA, Switzerland and the UK. Business Premium, at €105 per seat per month billed annually, and Enterprise do give you a dot. On Enterprise you can have a dot's data stored and processed in Europe.
Grok Bot: available, with your data in the US
xAI's documentation lists no country restrictions for the Grok Bot app. All Grok Bot computers do run in the United States. You log in with a Cursor account, and Cursor's privacy terms apply. Only tagging @bot on X does not work in the EU yet.
What do they cost?
| What you pay | |
|---|---|
| Claude Duet | No extra cost in Claude Pro, Max and Ultra; counts towards your regular usage limit |
| ChatGPT dots | First dot at no extra cost in Pro and Business Premium; Enterprise charges separately, with no public prices |
| Grok Bot | No separate subscription; from X Premium ($30 per month, excluding tax) or a paid Cursor plan |
For all three: background work uses up capacity. An agent that checks your inbox all day uses more than a chat you open now and then.
How far can they go on their own?
All three ask for approval before risky actions, and each draws the line slightly differently.
- Claude Duet always asks for approval before sending, paying, signing and deleting. Duet never trades securities or moves money between accounts, even with approval. For purchases it creates a single-use card.
- ChatGPT dots let you choose per type of action: do it itself, do it when you say so, ask first or hand it over to you. Changing passwords and transferring money always go back to you.
- Grok Bot shows a card with "Allow once", "Always allow" or "Deny" for risky actions. A separate model checks actions, though according to xAI it does not catch every side effect. Audit logs are only available in Enterprise.
All three makers write themselves that their protection against prompt injection reduces the risk without removing it. Prompt injection is an attack in which a web page or email contains hidden instructions that try to mislead an agent.
Where is your data stored?
| Storage and training | |
|---|---|
| Claude Duet | Anthropic names no processing location on the Duet pages; Duet follows the settings of your Claude account. Memory stays until you delete it. |
| ChatGPT dots | On Business and Enterprise, no training on your data by default. Enterprise can choose storage and processing in Europe. |
| Grok Bot | Computers run in the US. With Privacy Mode on in Cursor, no training on your data. Deleting your account erases your data within 30 days. |
For a Dutch business this is often the most important point. If you connect a mailbox or CRM, the agent also reads your clients' personal data. Under the GDPR, the European privacy law, you remain responsible for that. Read more in AI and privacy.
Which one suits you?
- Do you work with Microsoft 365 and want to start now? Then ChatGPT dots through Business Premium are the most obvious choice. Dots work in Teams and with Outlook.
- Do you already use Claude and want Anthropic's agent? Then you wait for Duet. In the meantime, Claude and Claude Cowork can already carry out many tasks for you.
- Do you handle technical tasks or already work in Cursor? Then Grok Bot is a good fit, with its own terminal on the computer. Keep in mind that your data is in the US.
Not sure whether a general agent fits, or do you need an agent for one fixed process such as quotes or customer questions? Then you can have an AI agent built that handles exactly that one process. If you want help choosing, book a free call.
What do you need to arrange internally?
An always-on agent works with the same access as you. So arrange three things before you switch one on:
- What can the agent do on its own? Start with reading, summarising and drafting. Set sending, paying and deleting to approval first.
- Which apps do you connect? Start with apps that hold little sensitive personal data.
- Do your people know how it works? Using an agent like this falls under the AI literacy obligation in Article 4 of the EU AI Act, which has applied since 2 February 2025. Record the agreements in an AI policy. A one-on-one AI training is one such measure. This is general information, not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Claude Duet, ChatGPT dots and Grok Bot? All three are always-on agents with their own computer in the cloud. Duet runs on Claude Opus 5.5 and is only available in the US. Dots run on GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Terra and work in ChatGPT, Slack and Teams. Grok Bot runs on Cursor's infrastructure, in the US.
Which always-on agent can I use in the Netherlands? ChatGPT dots through Business Premium or Enterprise, and Grok Bot, whose computers run in the US. Claude Duet is not yet available in the Netherlands (as of 6 November 2026).
How much does an always-on agent cost? Duet is included at no extra cost in Claude Pro, Max and Ultra. The first dot is included in ChatGPT Pro and Business Premium (€105 per seat per month billed annually). Grok Bot is included in X Premium ($30 per month) and paid Cursor plans, among others.
Which always-on agent is the safest? That depends on your settings. All three ask for approval before risky actions and shield passwords from the model. Only dots offer storage and processing in Europe, on Enterprise; Grok Bot runs in the US.
Do these agents work with Microsoft 365? ChatGPT dots work with Outlook and in Microsoft Teams. Grok Bot has connectors for Outlook and SharePoint. Claude Duet does not support Microsoft 365 yet.
Want to learn to work with AI agents yourself?
Whichever agent you choose, the result depends on the tasks you give it and the rules you set. In the one-on-one AI training you set this up for your own work in one half-day session: Advanced for €449 excluding VAT, or Specialist for €579 excluding VAT if you want to work with agents and connectors. After the training you still have a 30-minute follow-up call for the questions that come up once you get started.
