OpenAI supercharges Codex with desktop control as it partners with Infosys and consulting giants

Reviewed byNidhi Govil

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OpenAI is transforming Codex from an AI coding tool into a productivity powerhouse that can control your desktop. The company partnered with Infosys, Accenture, PwC, and other global consulting firms to accelerate enterprise adoption, while adding background automation, 100+ plugins, and memory features. With over 4 million weekly users and competition heating up against Anthropic's Claude Code, OpenAI is positioning Codex as the foundation for a future super app.

OpenAI Expands Codex Beyond Coding with Desktop Automation

OpenAI has unveiled a major overhaul of Codex, its AI coding tool, introducing capabilities that extend far beyond software development into broader productivity and automation. The most striking addition allows Codex to operate in the background on your computer, opening any app on your desktop and carrying out operations with a cursor that clicks and types

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. This means Codex can deploy multiple AI agents that work on a user's Mac in parallel, without interfering with other tasks, functioning as a coding buddy that handles auxiliary work while you focus on primary projects

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Source: TechCrunch

Source: TechCrunch

The update represents a strategic shift for OpenAI as it positions Codex Desktop as the foundation for what it envisions as a super app. Thibault Sottiaux, engineering lead for Codex, revealed that the company is "building the super app in the open and evolving it out of the Codex app"

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. This ambitious vision comes as Codex reaches more than 4 million weekly active users, up from around 3 million earlier this month

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. Notably, nearly half of Codex use is for non-coding tasks, underscoring its evolution into a broader productivity tool

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Strategic Partnerships Drive Enterprise Adoption

OpenAI is leveraging global consulting firms to accelerate enterprise adoption of its AI tools through an extensive partnership network. The company announced collaborations with Accenture, Capgemini, CGI, Cognizant, Infosys, PwC, and Tata Consultancy Services to help large companies identify and deploy Codex across their software development operations

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. This strategy provides OpenAI with crucial distribution channels into large enterprises through these firms' global client bases and delivery capabilities across more than 60 countries

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Source: CXOToday

Source: CXOToday

The partnership with Infosys stands out as particularly significant. The Indian IT giant is integrating OpenAI's AI tools, including Codex, into its Topaz AI platform to help clients modernize software development, automate workflows, and deploy AI systems at scale

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. The integration will initially focus on software engineering, legacy modernization, and DevOps

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. For Infosys, which generated ₹25 billion (about $267 million) in AI-related services revenue in the December quarter—roughly 5.5% of its total revenue—this partnership reinforces its commitment to expanding its AI business amid mounting pressure from slowing client spending and concerns that AI tools could automate traditional outsourcing work

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OpenAI also launched Codex Labs, an initiative that places OpenAI specialists directly inside customer organizations to help integrate the technology into existing systems and corporate workflows

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. This hands-on approach signals OpenAI's determination to move enterprises from experimentation to large-scale deployment

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New Features Transform Codex Into Comprehensive Productivity Platform

The latest Codex update introduces several features that blur the line between AI coding tool and general productivity assistant. An in-app browser allows users to issue commands to the agentic tool, which then carries out tasks on specific web applications, particularly useful for frontend and game development

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. Users can click on elements in the browser and have the AI understand where they're clicking, eliminating the need to describe locations verbally

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Source: ZDNet

Source: ZDNet

A new memory feature allows Codex to recall previous work sessions and generate important context about how a particular user works, remembering personal preferences, corrections, and information that took time to gather

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. The agent has also gained image generation capabilities through GPT Image 1.5, enabling creation of product concepts, slide visuals, mockups, and placeholder images

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OpenAI announced 111 plugin integrations from apps like CodeRabbit, GitLab Issues, Atlassian Rovo, CircleCI, Microsoft Suite, and Neon by Databricks

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. These plugins enable Codex to access Slack, Notion, and Google apps, allowing it to scan messages, check calendars, and generate daily to-do lists

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. The new Automations tool lets users set reminders for Codex to run repetitive tasks called "heartbeats," constantly monitoring what needs attention

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Intensifying Competition in the AI Market

These updates come as OpenAI faces mounting competitive pressure, particularly from Anthropic, whose Claude Code has been dubbed the tool of choice for many businesses

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. Some of the powers OpenAI is adding to Codex resemble capabilities Anthropic previously released for Claude Code, including the ability to remotely control your Mac and desktop while you're away from your keyboard

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. Larger technology firms including Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are also investing heavily to differentiate their AI offerings for businesses

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As part of a broader strategic shift, OpenAI has scaled back or shut down some smaller experimental initiatives, including projects such as Sora 2, concentrating resources on core products like Codex and ChatGPT

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. The company also introduced a new pay-as-you-go Codex pricing option for ChatGPT enterprise and business customers, alongside a $100 per month plan with higher Codex usage limits—half the price of the usual ChatGPT Pro plan

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The new Codex Desktop is available for Mac and Windows, though the Computer Use feature is currently only available on MacOS and not yet in the EU

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. With 80% of OpenAI's staff reportedly using Codex, the company is demonstrating how non-programmers can leverage the platform

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. As enterprises watch this space closely, the question remains whether OpenAI can successfully transition Codex from a specialized coding assistant into the comprehensive super app it envisions, while maintaining its competitive edge in an increasingly crowded AI market.

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