OpenAI announced the launch of new tools for developers on Tuesday, aimed at enhancing the creation of advanced AI agents through a streamlined set of application programming interfaces.
The move comes as competition intensifies with emerging Chinese AI startups.
AI agents are designed to operate autonomously, executing complex real-world tasks without direct human intervention. APIs, in turn, facilitate standardized communication, data exchange, and functionality between software components.
The newly introduced Responses API will be available to all developers at no additional cost, replacing OpenAI’s existing Assistants API, which is scheduled to be phased out by mid-2026.
The launch follows a wave of AI advancements from Chinese startups, some of which claim their models rival or surpass leading U.S. counterparts at significantly lower costs. One such company, Monica, has gained attention with the recent release of Manus, an autonomous AI agent.
The launch comes just weeks after another Chinese startup, DeepSeek, received praise from Silicon Valley executives and U.S. tech engineers.
Monica also announced on Tuesday that it is partnering with the team behind Alibaba’s Qwen AI models, further signaling China’s growing presence in the global AI landscape.
