In 2023, early adopters were just getting to know Chat GPT and AI chatbot tech. Three years later, Open AI’s Codex agent, now part of the Chat GPT desktop app, has brought about a similar season of learning. The author, a writer not a programmer, initially found Codex intimidating compared to Chat GPT.

However, the introduction of Computer Use in April changed the dynamic, allowing Codex to see, click, and type into Mac apps. A brief history of automation highlights Ari Weinstein and friends launching a i OS 8 app for mobile automation in December 2014, later acquired by Apple and rebranded as Shortcuts. Weinstein and other Workflow veterans later left Apple to create Software Applications Incorporated, previewing Sky, a modern AI assistant, before being acquired by Open AI.

Trusting an AI with using a Mac requires confidence, and the author found inherited trust and continuity from this history helpful. The author started using Codex daily in May to create a Mac app called Flow, designed to monitor app releases and updates, helping his story writing flow. He moved from using i Tunes on the Mac to i Phone Mirroring to check the App Store on his i Phone for app updates, integrating Codex into his daily workflow.

The journey with Codex transformed his relationship with AI, moving from intimidation to reliance, with Chat GPT now feeling like a toy without it.