The new ChatGPT Astra model is a much bigger upgrade than just getting better answers to questions.

Its combination of AI computer use, Codex, autonomous task completion and the ability to work across apps means ChatGPT can now take on jobs that previously needed a human sitting at a computer.

Here are 6 genuinely useful things you can do with ChatGPT Astra:

Do your weekly food shop with AI
Ask ChatGPT for easy midweek meal ideas, choose the ones you want, then let Astra use your computer to shop for the ingredients from your usual supermarket. It can navigate the website, add everything to your basket and get it ready for you to approve.

Build your own apps and tools with Codex
AI coding and “vibe coding” are becoming much more accessible to people who can't code. Using Codex in the ChatGPT desktop app, you can describe the app, website or internal tool you want and have Astra build, test and improve it. I'm experimenting with replacing several pieces of software I currently pay for, including meeting notes, transcription, notes and social media tools.

Turn ideas into interactive 3D models
Give Astra information about a house or building and it can create an interactive 3D environment you can explore. You can also use it for more creative projects, like turning children's drawings and game ideas into simple playable 3D experiences.

Edit videos using AI
With tools and skills such as Hyperframes, ChatGPT Astra can help build a video editing workflow that cuts footage, creates motion graphics, adds captions and handles much more of the production process. This could be particularly useful for marketers, content creators and businesses trying to produce more video content.

Automate large amounts of life admin
This is where AI computer use gets interesting. Give Astra a collection of photos of things you want to sell and it could potentially help create listings, organise the information and work through the repetitive admin. The same idea applies to organising files, researching purchases, handling financial admin and other jobs that normally involve lots of clicking between websites and apps.

Build or rebuild a website
You can give Astra an existing website, your company information and the content you want to use, then ask it to create a new site. Combine it with free hosting such as Cloudflare and AI can increasingly handle the coding, testing and deployment as well as the initial design.

The significant shift here isn't simply that ChatGPT is getting smarter. AI models are getting much better at actually doing things on a computer, which opens up an entirely different category of useful AI automation.