OpenAI Launches Codex AI Agent for Software Development

OpenAI has introduced the Codex AI agent for programming automation, which is now available to ChatGPT Pro, Enterprise, and Team subscribers at no extra cost. The tool automatically fixes errors, runs tests, and suggests changes to the code, acting as a virtual assistant for the developer. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman emphasizes that Codex is not just an improved ChatGPT, but an independent product. The agent generates code based on text requests, optimizes the finished code, and can perform several tasks in parallel, returning to them later. Complex tasks can take up to 30 minutes, but the battery life will be increased in the future.

Codex is built into the web version of ChatGPT, but is not yet accessible to the internet for security reasons. It is powered by a specialized model called codex-1, which is optimized for programming. OpenAI also said that Codex will complement other AI tools such as Cursor and the Windsurf code editor, which it plans to buy for $3 billion.

While Codex's capabilities are limited at the moment, it will eventually be able to take over routine tasks entirely. "Development will be built around an agent running on a separate computer, and people will simply delegate tasks to it," OpenAI says. Altman calls programming a key focus for the company.

This is an updated version of the old Codex: in 2021, this was the name of OpenAI's first code generation tool. Now, AI assistants in programming have become extremely popular, and competition is growing. Anthropic is actively developing this niche, Windsurf has released its AI models, and Google added GitHub integration to Gemini and introduced the AlphaEvolve agent.