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Your AI assistant just learned to buy things (with permission)

Author

Aftab
July 24, 2025

Every Other Byte

AI Newsletter for Smart Business Minds

👋 G’day

What a massive week for AI! From shopping agents that can actually buy your shoes to AI models winning Olympic-level math competitions, the future of automation just took a giant leap forward. Plus, we’ve got some serious policy moves from Anthropic and OpenAI’s community fund making waves.

In today’s AI Byte: - ChatGPT agents now shopping autonomously for users - OpenAI’s secret model wins gold at International Math Olympiad - Anthropic pushes for US energy infrastructure in new policy report - OpenAI launches $50M community fund for nonprofits - New AI tools making creativity more accessible than ever - Exclusive n8n automation for viral content creation

🧠 News & Breakthrough Updates

The Byte: OpenAI’s new ChatGPT Agent can now browse websites, compare products, fill out forms, and add items to shopping carts—essentially acting as your digital personal assistant for complex online tasks.

The Details: - Available to Pro, Plus, and Team users through “agent mode” in the tools dropdown - Uses a virtual browser to click, scroll, and navigate websites just like humans do - Always asks permission before sensitive actions like entering payment details or submitting forms

Why It Matters: This represents the shift from AI as an information tool to AI as an action-taking partner—potentially transforming how Australian businesses handle routine online tasks and customer service.

​OpenAI’s Secret AI Model Achieves Gold Medal at International Math Olympiad​

The Byte: An unreleased OpenAI experimental model solved 5 out of 6 problems at the prestigious International Math Olympiad, earning 35/42 points—enough for gold medal performance—marking a massive breakthrough in AI reasoning capabilities.

The Details: - Competed under human conditions: two 4.5-hour sessions, no tools, no internet, natural language proofs - Only 67 out of 630 human contestants (roughly 10%) achieved gold medal status this year - Google DeepMind also achieved gold-level performance, officially certified by IMO organisers

Why It Matters: This isn’t just about maths—it demonstrates AI’s advancing ability to handle complex reasoning tasks that require creativity and multi-step problem solving, skills directly applicable to business strategy and analysis.

The Byte: Anthropic released a comprehensive policy report arguing the US needs at least 50GW of electrical capacity by 2028 to maintain AI leadership, as China rapidly outpaces American energy infrastructure development.

The Details: - Projects that single AI models will require 2GW and 5GW data centres by 2027-2028 respectively - Total US frontier AI training demands expected to reach 20-25GW by 2028 - Proposes federal land availability, accelerated permitting, and strategic transmission partnerships

Why It Matters: For Australian businesses, this highlights the global infrastructure race around AI—and the potential opportunities for partnerships with countries investing heavily in AI-capable energy systems.

✨ AI-Driven Productivity Hacks

The Byte: New online tools can automatically transform your basic ChatGPT prompts into expertly structured ones using proven frameworks, dramatically improving output quality without learning complex prompt engineering.

The Details: - Simply enter your task and select from curated prompting frameworks - Automatically generates detailed, context-aware prompts optimised for better AI responses - Includes refinement options and one-click copying for immediate use

Why It Matters: Better prompts mean better results—this tool democratises advanced AI interaction techniques, helping businesses get professional-grade outputs without technical expertise.

The Byte: Three major platforms now offer free API access to powerful AI models, including Google’s AI Studio for Gemini, OpenRouter for 50+ models, and Grok for various open-source options.

The Details: - Google AI Studio provides free Gemini 2.5 access with generous usage limits - OpenRouter offers no-cost access to DeepSeek R1, Kimi, and Quen 3 models - Grok platform includes free keys for DeepSeek, Llama, and Mistral models

Why It Matters: Removes cost barriers for experimentation and small-scale AI integration, allowing Australian startups and SMEs to test AI capabilities before committing to paid plans.

🧠 AI for Mental Health Support

The Byte: Microsoft released a comprehensive 11-lesson course covering AI agent development, complete with videos, code walkthroughs, and hands-on exercises—all completely free and open-source.

The Details: - Covers fundamental concepts, major frameworks, and practical implementation - Includes YouTube video series with expert instruction and real code examples - Designed for all skill levels, from beginners to experienced developers

Why It Matters: This democratises AI agent knowledge at a time when businesses need to understand these technologies—providing a mental health boost through skill development and reduced AI anxiety.

🔧 New AI Tools & Features

🔍 Tool of the Week: ChatGPT Agent Mode

What is it? OpenAI’s new autonomous agent that can browse the web, interact with websites, and complete multi-step tasks using its own virtual browser.

Key Features: - Visual and text-based web browsing capabilities - Form filling and website navigation - Integration with Gmail, Google Drive, and GitHub connectors - Real-time task narration with takeover options

Getting Started Guide: 1. Access through ChatGPT Pro, Plus, or Team accounts 2. Select “agent mode” from the tools dropdown in any conversation 3. Describe your task in natural language (e.g., “find and compare running shoes under $200”) 4. Monitor progress through on-screen narration 5. Take control or approve actions as needed

Use Cases: - Competitive research and market analysis - Online shopping and vendor comparison - Travel planning and booking research - Lead generation and contact research - Automated report creation from web data

🎥 Video of the Week

​B​​uild dynamic AI Agents with Model Selector in n8n​

Are you tired of using just one model for your AI agent? In this step-by-step tutorial, learn how to build a powerful AI agent in n8n that can dynamically select the best AI model—GPT-4.1, Claude Sonnet, or DeepSeek—based on the user's request, using the Model Selector tool.

In this video, you'll discover:

🔥 What the Model Selector is and how it works

🛠️ How to configure your AI agent for automatic model switching

📊 Example use cases: reasoning tasks, content writing, and general AI queries ⚙️ Using LLM chains and system prompts for decision-making

✅ Real-time examples: see the agent pick GPT-4, Claude Sonnet, or DeepSeek based on task type

💾 Free download: Grab the ready-to-use Model Selector template from the description! Whether you're building AI automations, chatbots, or advanced AI agents, this tutorial will help you create a smarter, more flexible system—without writing a single line of code.

👇 Get the free template & start building smarter agents today!

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That’s your AI intelligence briefing for the week, legends!

The gap between AI capabilities and real-world applications is shrinking fast—from shopping agents to Olympic-level reasoning. For Australian businesses, the message is clear: start experimenting now with these accessible tools, because the companies that get comfortable with AI agents today will be the ones dominating their markets tomorrow.

Cheers, The Every Other Byte Team

P.S. Got mates who need to stay ahead of the AI curve? Forward this newsletter—they’ll thank you later!