Recently, OpenAI and Anthropic have accelerated their competition in AI programming tools. Claude Code from Anthropic has been recognized by many enterprises as the preferred tool, but OpenAI has not backed down, announcing a comprehensive upgrade to its automated programming tool Codex, introducing a series of new features aimed at enhancing the tool's practicality and flexibility.

In the latest update, Codex now runs in the background, meaning users can perform other tasks on their computers while Codex executes programming tasks in the background. OpenAI stated in a blog post that this improvement allows multiple intelligent agents to run in parallel on a user's Mac device without interfering with normal use. Through this approach, Codex can effectively act as a programming assistant, helping users complete some auxiliary tasks, such as front-end modifications and application testing, while working on core projects.

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Additionally, the new version of Codex includes an integrated browser feature. Users can directly issue instructions to the intelligent agent to perform actions on specified web applications, a feature that is especially helpful for front-end developers and game developers. In the future, OpenAI plans to expand this capability, allowing Codex to fully control the browser, not limited to local host web applications.

Codex's other updates include a new feature called "Memory," which records the user's work session and generates key contextual information related to the user's habits. At the same time, the tool also added image generation capabilities, suitable for enterprise needs such as product concept diagrams and design prototypes. Additionally, OpenAI has integrated 111 plugins, enabling Codex to handle simple document tasks and help users organize work affairs, such as generating to-do lists.

To further improve the user experience, OpenAI has also introduced a pay-as-you-go pricing plan for Codex for ChatGPT Enterprise and Business edition users, giving users more flexibility when using programming tools.

As the competition with Anthropic intensifies, OpenAI's focus is gradually shifting toward enterprise-level features. Although the development of consumer-level tools like social video applications has temporarily slowed down, the upgrades to Codex demonstrate its determination and potential in the field of AI programming.

Key Points:

🌟 OpenAI has comprehensively upgraded Codex, adding background running and integrated browser functions, enhancing the flexibility of the programming assistant.  

💡 New "Memory" function and image generation capabilities help users record work habits and create materials.  

🔧 Introducing a pay-as-you-go pricing plan to enhance the flexibility of ChatGPT Enterprise and Business edition users.