OpenAI debuts Codex, an AI coding agent, further disrupting the software industry

In a world where 30% of Big Tech code is written by AI already, OpenAI says it wants to join the club for «virtual teammates,» and it’s getting ever closer with today’s launch.

OpenAI’s Agents Research Lead, Josh Tobin tells TechCrunch that the company wants software agents to complete tasks autonomously that would otherwise take hours or days to finish, in anything from one to thirty minutes, and OpenAI is already using the model to offload repetitive tasks.

o3-optimized for coding
Codex itself runs on a modified ChatGPT o3 model, and can run code suggestions multiple times to find the best version.

It should be much better at coding within standard and follows instructions better than any other OpenAI model.

The model works in a sandboxed cloud environment and can link up to Github, so it can access all your code repositories at once.

Runs multiple projects
From there it can write simple features, fix bugs, runs tests and answer questions about your code.

It can also run multiple projects at once, and provides you with a dashboard of running projects.

So, will this be a game changer ushering in automated employees or «virtual teammates?» It’s too soon to tell, but this certainly feels like a first step.

A leap forward, that also carries risk
Going forward, OpenAI says, developers will «soon be able to provide guidance mid-task, collaborate on implementation strategies, and receive proactive progress updates.»

They also add that while «software engineering is one of the first industries to experience significant AI-driven productivity gains, opening new possibilities for individuals and small teams,» it could also have adverse consequences;

— While we’re optimistic about these gains, we’re also collaborating with partners to better understand the implications of widespread agent adoption on developer workflows, skill development across people, skill levels, and geographies.

Codex is only available to Pro, Enterprise and Team users for the time being, but OpenAI says it will be rolling out for Plus and Edu user sometime soon.

Read more: OpenAIs launch page, TechCrunch has commentary and a detailed rundown, Ars Technica reminds users to always check AI code before committing.