OpenAI takes aim at Anthropic with beefed-up Codex that gives it more power over your desktop

Source: TechCrunch

New Features and Background Operation

This week OpenAI announced a revamp of Codex, its automated coding assistant, with a variety of updates designed to give it significantly expanded powers.

• Background agents – Codex can now run in the background on a user’s computer, opening any app on the desktop and carrying out operations with a cursor that clicks and types. According to OpenAI’s blog post, multiple agents can work on a Mac “in parallel, without interfering with your own work in other apps.” The agents act as a coding buddy that handles auxiliary tasks while you focus on primary projects. Potential use‑cases include iterating on frontend changes, testing apps, or working in apps that don’t expose an API.
• In‑app browser – Users can issue commands to the agentic tool, which will then act on specific web applications. OpenAI says this will be useful for frontend and game development and plans to eventually let Codex “fully command the browser beyond web applications on localhost.”
• Memory preview – A new “memory” feature lets Codex recall previous work sessions and generate context about how a particular user works.
• Image generation – Codex can now create product concepts, slide visuals, mockups, placeholder images, and other corporate paraphernalia.
• Plugin integrations – OpenAI announced 111 plugin integrations from apps like CodeRabbit and GitLab Issues, enabling Codex to perform tasks involving those tools. For example, Codex can scan Slack channels and Google Calendar to produce a daily to‑do list.

Comparison with Anthropic’s Offerings

Some of the capabilities OpenAI is adding to Codex resemble features previously released by Anthropic for Claude Code. Last month Anthropic announced that Claude and Cowork could remotely control a Mac and desktop on a user’s behalf while they were away from the keyboard.

Pricing Update

OpenAI introduced a pay‑as‑you‑go pricing option for Codex aimed at ChatGPT Enterprise and business customers, providing more flexibility for procuring the coding tool’s services.

Strategic Context

OpenAI’s push to enhance Codex reflects a broader strategy to compete more aggressively with Anthropic in the enterprise space. The company has recently shifted focus away from consumer tools such as its social video app Sora 2, and it continues to navigate controversies, including lawsuits over ChatGPT’s alleged mental‑health impact on users.