OpenAI has chosen to rename new versions of artificial intelligence tools widely known as agents. They are now being called "dots."

Company boss Sam Altman, speaking in San Francisco on Tuesday during OpenAI's yearly event for technology developers, referred to "dots" as "remarkably capable, always-on agents that can handle really anything you can think of."

OpenAI in recent months has come under intense scrutiny as internal tests of its AI agents have revealed often unexpected and occasionally harmful actions, leading to more public and government fears.

Dots, however, were pitched as brightly colored cute cartoons meant to function as digital assistants for people with busy lives.

The dots, Altman said, "can handle really anything you can think of."

A glossy video was shown during the event, with people speaking to and naming animated versions of their "dots," then assigning them various tasks, such as building a website and booking after-school activities for their children.

Speaking about "my dot," Altman almost entirely avoided referring to the tool as an agent, a term that has been in common use for years. AI agents are essentially AI chatbots that are programmed to operate somewhat autonomously.

"You just give your dot a responsibility... and your dots will just get to work and keep working," Altman added.

The day before OpenAI's Tuesday event, the company said it was delaying the launch of its latest model due to safety issues that emerged during internal testing.

Since July, the company has been dealing with a series of issues with its AI agents acting improperly. It has faced unprompted hacking of the AI platform Hugging Face, posting images that AI agents took from ChatGPT user chats to third-party websites, and accessing non-public information maintained by the Australian government.

OpenAI, as well as rival AI firm Anthropic, previously delayed the public release of certain AI models due to potential risks, primarily related to cybersecurity and hacking concerns.

Both companies also expect to be listed on the public stock market in the coming months. Anthropic likely will do so this year, while OpenAI is poised for 2027.

And both companies have recently made it clear that they believe AI poses a genuine risk on a large scale, whether to public infrastructure or public safety.

Speaking last week to the UN, Altman pleaded for "national and international" AI standards on measuring the capabilities of an AI tool, assessing related risks, AI safeguards, and the degree to which human oversight over such tools is maintained.

Dario Amodei, the head of Anthropic, told the UN that if the speeding development of AI was not properly managed and overseen, future versions of the technology "could be a risk to humanity as a whole."