OpenAI Expands Autonomous Agents with ChatGPT Work as Altman Admits Avoiding Codex

OpenAI released ChatGPT Work last month on its lowest subscription tier for $20 a month. [2] The product is a modified version of the company's Codex coding tool designed to complete multistep projects for non-engineers. [2] OpenAI lead engineer Andrew Ambrosino noted that the desktop app has control over his inbox, Slack account, and applications like Notion and Figma. [2]

Despite the push for autonomous workflows, OpenAI chief Sam Altman admitted on a podcast that he avoids using Codex for work. [3] Altman stated he does not "really know" what it would take for him to adopt Codex more deeply. [3] Concurrently, Codex in the ChatGPT desktop app for Linux is now in preview. [1] Users running the Linux app have reported remote connection issues when pairing with Android devices. [1]

The launch of ChatGPT Work adapts the autonomous capabilities software engineers get from Codex for white-collar workers. By connecting to apps like Figma and Slack, OpenAI is betting on long-running agents that consume more tokens per user. Yet, Altman's hesitation to adopt the assistant mirrors the control concerns acknowledged by the app's lead engineer. What the sources don't address: When the Linux preview will reach general availability and whether the connection bugs will be resolved before then.