01What the ChatGPT Parallel Agents Update Is

The ChatGPT parallel agents update is a new feature inside GPT-6 Pro that lets you give one big job to ChatGPT. It then breaks that job into smaller parts and hands each part to a different AI agent. All the agents work at the same time, each doing its own piece.

You can watch each agent as it works. When an agent finishes, you click on its task and check what it did. Before this update, ChatGPT worked like one person at one desk; it did step one, then step two, then step three, one thing at a time.

Now it works like three people at three desks, each grabbing a different piece and then handing you one combined answer. This update went live on October 16th for Pro users in the chat tab.

02Main Features of the Update

The update brings several changes to how you interact with ChatGPT. First, you can split a single job into multiple parallel agents that run side by side. Second, each agent appears as its own task in the interface, so you can open and read each finished piece separately.

Third, GPT-6 Pro is now better at using plugins and tools—plugins let ChatGPT connect to your email, calendar, files, and other apps. Fourth, the speed is improved; in tests, parallel agents were about 9% faster on average than the old one-at-a-time method. Finally, you can control how many agents to use and what each one does.

These features let you see and check every part of a job instead of getting one large block of text at the end and hoping it is correct.

03How to Set Up ChatGPT Parallel Agents

  1. Open ChatGPT with a Pro account (the feature is live for Pro users in the chat tab).
  2. Write a prompt that clearly states you want multiple agents working in parallel. For example: 'Use three agents in parallel.'
  3. Tell each agent exactly what job to do. For example: 'Agent one, read the sales page and list every question a new visitor might have. Agent two, read our last 20 welcome posts and list what they asked first. Agent three, compare both lists and find the gaps.'
  4. Specify how the final answer should look. For example: 'Give me one report with the top five things to fix.'
  5. Press send. You will see each agent appear as its own task. You can follow along as they work.
  6. When an agent finishes, click on its task to read that part before moving to the next.

04How to Use It: Examples from the Episode

Julian Goldie showed a real way to use parallel agents. He described giving one big research job: find six different job market numbers across four US states over six months, search lots of websites, and put everything into one report. ChatGPT's parallel agents did this in half the time of older models, with the same quality.

He also shared a prompt you can copy: 'Use three agents in parallel. Agent one, read the AI profit boardroom sales page and list every question a new visitor might have. Agent two, read our last 20 welcome posts from new members and list what they asked first.

Agent three, compare both lists and find the gaps. Then give me one report with the top five things to fix.' Each agent shows up as its own task. You can open and read each finished part, check for mistakes, and fix them right away.

05Results and Tests from the Episode

In this episode, Julian talked about a test run by a site called Kingi.ai. They ran the same kind of task with three agents in parallel two times. One run took 4 minutes 56 seconds.

The other took 3 minutes 54 seconds. Then they ran the same task the old way—one step at a time. The parallel version was only about 9% faster on average, and the results jumped around a lot from run to run.

OpenAI did not share any speed numbers in their own analysis. Also, some Pro users online are unhappy about usage limits. OpenAI has not said if one parallel request counts as one message or several.

So Julian said he would not buy the update for speed alone. The real win is that you can see and check every piece of work separately, which helps you catch mistakes faster.

06Tips, Limits and Mistakes to Avoid

Don't type a vague question and hope ChatGPT figures out how to use agents. The developer guide for Astra says you should tell the model how many agents to use and what each one does. Below is a mistake many new users make: they give one general job and get one large answer.

Instead, give clear instructions. For example, say 'Use three agents in parallel. Agent one, do X.

Agent two, do Y. Agent three, do Z. Give me a report.' Also, remember that speed varies; the tests showed results jumping from 3 minutes 54 seconds to 4 minutes 56 seconds.

So do not rely on it being always faster. Another limit: usage caps may apply, and OpenAI has not clarified how many messages parallel requests cost. Stay in control by reviewing each agent's work before you hit send.

07Who This Update Is For and Why It Matters

This update is for anyone who uses ChatGPT for research, content creation, or customer support. If you often give ChatGPT big jobs that have multiple steps, parallel agents can help you split the work and see each part clearly. It also matters for business owners who want to save time.

Julian pointed out that most business owners do not yet know ChatGPT can run a team of agents. They do not know how to split a job into clear pieces or which prompts work. This is a window of opportunity.

Learning to use parallel agents now can give you an advantage. Inside the AI profit boardroom, members are turning this update into step-by-step workflows for tasks like auditing a website, planning a week of content, and answering customer questions faster.