OpenAI Debuts Major Codex Updates with Remote Control, Goal Mode, and Collaborative Features

Summary

OpenAI announced a major set of updates to Codex during a Codex Thursday launch event, introducing four significant new capabilities that enhance the AI assistant's autonomy and collaboration features. Most notably, Codex can now securely operate applications on macOS through computer use, even when the Mac is locked and the screen is off—enabling remote control from other devices like phones. This feature is powered by screen recording and accessibility permissions, allowing Codex to interact with graphical user interfaces on desktop apps, web browsers, and other applications.

Beyond computer use, OpenAI also rolled out Goal Mode, which allows users to set high-level objectives that Codex can work toward autonomously for hours or even days without continuous user input. Appshots brings visual context directly from the user's screen into the Codex app, improving Codex's understanding of current interface state. Advanced Annotation Mode enables real-time collaborative feedback on web pages, allowing users to directly adjust visual elements while leaving feedback for Codex. Together, these features represent a significant stride toward making Codex a more independent, capable, and collaborative AI agent.

The computer use feature is available on macOS at launch (with exceptions for the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, and Switzerland). Users can enable these capabilities by installing the Computer Use plugin and granting necessary permissions through macOS settings.

• Advanced Annotation Mode streamlines collaboration by letting users adjust web page visuals in real-time while providing structured feedback to Codex
• Feature rollout demonstrates OpenAI's focus on building AI agents capable of independent operation and seamless human-AI collaboration