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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Codex Desktop expands from coding into full productivity workflows.
- Automation can generate images, charts, and workflow outputs.
- The tool is still aimed at developers despite the broader productivity push.
Today, OpenAI announced a significant update to its Codex Desktop app. Codex started as OpenAI’s agentic coding tool, but Codex Desktop is now being positioned as an overall productivity tool, similar to Claude Cowork.
While the capabilities are undoubtedly powerful, the messaging is a little murky. In a briefing yesterday, OpenAI recognized that Codex Desktop is still targeted at programmers but includes additional productivity tools that go beyond code generation.
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I quite enjoy OpenAI briefings because the excitement from the folks building the AI is tangible and genuine. They give off a “Check out what we did” vibe that’s refreshing among all the corporate speak we get from AI vendors every day.
However, I think there’s a law somewhere that all briefings must include slides. One of the company’s slides said that 80% of OpenAI’s staff use Codex, which highlights how non-programmers can use the Codex Desktop app.
Computer use
A key feature of the new Codex Desktop is computer use, which means the AI inside Codex Desktop can operate your computer.
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This release lets the AI run applications in the background. So, while the technology runs an automation, you can do other tasks in other applications. The computer use feature is only available for MacOS, at least for now.
In-app browser
Codex Desktop now includes an in-app browser. OpenAI didn’t demonstrate the in-app browser performing automations, so we’ll have to test this feature out and let you know what we think once we get our hands on the app itself.
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One interesting (and long overdue) feature is the ability to click on an element in the browser and have the AI understand where you’re clicking. So, rather than trying to explain you want the font changed in the third headline in column two, you can click the item you want changed and tell the AI to “change this to that.”
If this feature is reliable, it will definitely save some serious time.
Image generation
ChatGPT has had excellent image generation capabilities for quite some time, but Codex Desktop has not. Now, however, you should be able to create an agent that generates an image, chart, or diagram automatically as part of the overall automation.
Also: I tested the new ChatGPT Images – it’s a stunning improvement, and enormously fun
This is another feature that needs to be tested to see how well it works. If the feature keeps pace with the improvements we’ve seen in competing Gemini offerings, the image-generation capabilities should prove handy.
Expanded automations
Automations can now be added to existing conversational threads, allowing the AI to pick up on context from earlier discussions and interactions. Codex can assign itself work that, according to OpenAI, means it can “wake up automatically to continue on a long-term task, potentially across days or weeks.”
Although ChatGPT has had a memory feature for a while, the Codex app was particularly problematic because it had to be brought back up to speed on every relaunch. Now, the app has a memory capability that, according to the company, can “remember useful context from previous experience, including personal preferences, corrections, and information that took time to gather.”
OpenAI said: “This helps future tasks complete faster and to a level of quality previously only possible through extensive custom instructions.”
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Codex now has a nag feature that launches with the app. Here’s how the developers described this feature: “Codex now also proactively proposes useful work to continue where you have left off.”
Basically, when you jump back into Codex, the AI will try to see what you were working on and will propose continuing those workflows.
Additional updates
The product has a bunch of developer-oriented features, including:
- Support for addressing GitHub review comments
- Multiple terminal tabs
- Ability to connect to remote devboxes over SSH (this feature is in early-stage testing)
- Ability to view files directly in the sidebar with rich previews for PDFs, spreadsheets, slides, and docs
- A new summary pane to track agent plans, sources, and artifacts
Personally, I’m most excited about the multiple tabs feature. Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, you can’t color-code the tabs the way I do to keep track of my different projects in different terminal tabs. But, at the rate this feature is improving, it’s probably something we’ll see soon.
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Finally, Codex Desktop is shipping with access to more than 100 plugins. In AI-speak, plugins are apps that combine skills, app integrations, and MCP servers for more in-depth capabilities.
Given OpenClaw’s problems with user-contributed skills that have led to a flood of malware, I asked the developers how they are addressing plugin issues. I was told that OpenAI curates plugins before they’re made available.
Availability
The new Codex Desktop is available to any OpenAI tier with Codex access. Obviously, running more automations and long-run projects will use up token allocations more quickly, so proceed with caution and test before you let an agent run unattended.
The new Codex Desktop is available for Mac and Windows, although the Computer Use feature is only available on MacOS and is not yet available in the EU.
Is Codex Desktop starting to feel like a true productivity tool to you, or is it still primarily a programmer’s assistant? Let us know in the comments below.
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