(Corrects first paragraph to show the app is on desktop, not mobile)
By Deepa Seetharaman
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 2 (Reuters) – OpenAI is launching a desktop app for its coding tool, Codex, in hopes of seizing momentum — and customers — from its rivals in the AI code-generation space.
OpenAI said it designed its Codex app to make it easy for users to simultaneously manage multiple artificial-intelligence agents over a long period of time. The app can also then use code to do things like gather and analyze information, OpenAI officials said during a briefing with reporters.
Coding is arguably the most successful application for AI models in recent years. Coding tools are key to helping AI startups attract business customers and the space has grown increasingly competitive.
OpenAI lags behind its rivals in this area, particularly the AI startup Anthropic, which has dominated the coding market with its Claude Code tool. Anthropic says Claude Code reached $1 billion in revenue, on an annualized basis, in the six months after it was made available to the public.
The Codex app, released on Monday, is part of OpenAI’s redoubled efforts to gain ground. OpenAI said it’s also tried to make the app more user-friendly to help make these advanced capabilities more accessible to the masses.
Many observers of the coding space say the code-generation tools aren’t yet good enough to entirely replace human tech workers. But these tools do make their work significantly faster.
“The models just don’t run out of dopamine,” CEO Sam Altman said, relaying a recent conversation with a colleague. “They keep trying, they don’t run out of motivation.”
(Reporting by Deepa Seetharaman in San Francisco; Editing by Mark Porter)
