OpenAI tool Codex aims to take the programming burden off software developers

In the future, simply let the AI program and focus on the really important tasks: This is how OpenAI sells the great strength of its new tool Codex, which is designed to automate parts of the programming work in software development.

The first version, Codex-1, is based on OpenAI’s ChatGPT-o3 AI model. Above all, Codex should be able to process instructions more precisely and perform iterative test runs on the code it creates to deliver results that are as accurate as possible.

Virtual sandbox computer in the cloud

Codex runs on a virtual computer as a sandbox environment in the cloud. As the tool can be connected to GitHub, the Codex development environment should also have its users’ repositories available on request.

Among other things, the tool should be able to write simple functions, fix errors and answer questions about the codebase, taking between one and 30 minutes depending on the complexity of the code. It should also be able to carry out several tasks simultaneously while the user’s computer is still available for other things.

Codex will be rolled out immediately to ChatGPT Pro, Enterprise and Team subscribers. Initially, there will be “generous” access for all users, but usage limits will be introduced in the coming weeks. The function will also be available for ChatGPT Plus and Edu soon.

Codex will serve as a virtual teammate

Users with Codex access can find the tool in the sidebar, where they can assign new programming tasks to it via a prompt. What happens next can be seen in a presentation video from OpenAI. The tool works on the task in the background, while the user can see the progress and which task package is currently being completed by means of a loading bar.

OpenAI’s Agents Research Lead, Josh Tobin, told the TechCrunch portal that Codex should fulfill the role of a virtual team colleague for software developers in the future. It will take over the particularly time-consuming tasks, which presumably means the particularly redundant ones. In any case, this is already the case with OpenAI, where Codex is also supposed to create drafts for the documentation and provide the basic framework for new features.

No malware assistance

In an OpenAI blog post on Codex, Product Lead Alexander Embiricos emphasizes that Codex is designed to prevent the creation of malicious software. The market launch has yet to show whether his announcement will come true. Codex also works in a secure environment without access to the wider internet or external APIs.

With Codex, OpenAI now wants to become much more involved in the market for “vibe coding” – i.e., AI-supported programming –. The market is currently growing strongly. In addition to the start-up Cursor and GitHub Copilot, Google is now also a competitor with its Firebase application. OpenAI itself recently bought the AI start-up Windsurf for three billion US dollars.

(nen)