OpenAI expands Codex beyond coding with new AI capabilities

3 min readNew DelhiApr 17, 2026 04:19 PM IST

OpenAI has rolled out a major update to Codex, significantly expanding its capabilities beyond code generation to support the entire software development lifecycle. The update is aimed at the millions of developers who already rely on the tool to speed up everyday tasks.

The latest version allows Codex to work more like an active assistant, capable of interacting directly with a user’s computer, learning preferences, and handling ongoing tasks.

With the update, Codex can now operate a computer alongside the user. It can see what’s on screen, click through applications, and type inputs using its own cursor. A variety of AI assistants may even execute multiple operations in parallel, performing necessary actions while minimising interruptions to user productivity.

This creates additional opportunities, especially for those developers who need to implement front-end projects, test apps, or operate with software that does not have convenient integrations.

Moreover, Codex has received an improvement related to its interaction with websites. The tool has a built-in browser that allows users to interact directly with a particular page, adding some commands or notes to control an AI assistant. Such an improvement may be helpful during design iterations, testing various apps or games.

This latest update allows Codex to improve in terms of dev ops. The new update allows Codex to review pull requests, handle terminal tabs, and establish an SSH connection to other remote computers.

File handling capabilities have been expanded, too. The latest version allows users to view PDF documents, spreadsheets, and other presentation formats. Also, Codex now has an overview panel that shows all the operations performed by an AI assistant, listing their actions, used resources, and results.

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In order to make Codex even more versatile, OpenAI released over 90 plugins.

Codex is now able to perform long-term tasks without any problem. It allows users to reuse their earlier dialogues by keeping their context intact. Moreover, Codex can plan its tasks for future use and automatically continue with them.

Codex can be used for repetitive and timely tasks such as monitoring open tasks, reacting to updates, and keeping track of project workflows through different platforms.

Another addition is OpenAI’s memory preview. It will be capable of storing the preferences of the user, correcting the mistakes that occur during previous conversations, and storing all the important information collected in the course of the session. It will also be able to suggest its next job. By assessing all the activities performed through various projects and tools, Codex will identify pending actions and create a priority list.

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The upgraded Codex features have been deployed for ChatGPT’s desktop users logged into the platform, with computer usage abilities being rolled out currently on the macOS platform. Personalisation abilities such as memory and context suggestions will be available for enterprises and other regions in the coming time.

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