On June 3, 2025, OpenAI announced a significant update to its AI-powered coding assistant, Codex. Previously exclusive to ChatGPT Pro, Team, and Enterprise users, Codex is now accessible to ChatGPT Plus subscribers, broadening its availability to a wider developer audience.(theverge.com, openai.com)
Codex now supports optional internet access during task execution. This feature enables the AI agent to install dependencies, upgrade packages, and run tests that require external resources, streamlining the development process. By default, internet access is disabled, but Plus, Pro, and Team users can enable it for specific environments, with granular control over accessible domains and HTTP methods. (openai.com, help.openai.com)
Developers can now dictate tasks to Codex using voice input, enhancing usability and allowing for more natural interaction with the AI assistant. (aibase.com)
Codex has improved its integration with version control systems by allowing users to update existing pull requests when following up on a task, rather than creating new ones each time. (help.openai.com)
Codex is a cloud-based software engineering agent capable of performing various tasks in parallel, such as writing features, answering questions about codebases, fixing bugs, and proposing pull requests for review. Each task operates in its own cloud sandbox environment, preloaded with the user’s repository. Powered by codex-1, a version of OpenAI’s o3 model optimized for software engineering, Codex was trained using reinforcement learning on real-world coding tasks to generate human-like code, adhere to instructions, and iteratively run tests until successful. (openai.com)
Users can access Codex through the ChatGPT sidebar, assigning new coding tasks by typing a prompt and clicking “Code” or asking questions about their codebase by clicking “Ask.” Each task is processed independently in a separate, isolated environment, allowing Codex to read and edit files, run commands including test harnesses, linters, and type checkers. Task completion typically takes between 1 and 30 minutes, depending on complexity, with real-time progress monitoring. (openai.com)
ChatGPT Plus users interested in utilizing Codex can enable it through the ChatGPT interface. For detailed information on configuring internet access and other features, refer to the Codex Changelog and OpenAI’s official documentation.(openai.com, help.openai.com)