OpenAI has expanded the variety of applications its desktop apps can work with, including the power to make use of Enhanced Voice Mode with other apps, and is moving closer to ChatGPT when used on computers.
The desktop app introduced integrations in November with an initial 4 applications. On day 11 of its 12 Days of OpenAI event, OpenAI announced several latest integrated development environments (IDEs), terminals and text apps that it can support.
ChatGPT now supports BBEdit, MatLab, Nova, Script Editor, TextMate as IDEs, VS Code for VSCode Insider, VSCodium, Cursor, WindSurf, Android Studio's JetBrains IDE family, AppCode, CLion, DataGrip, GoLand, IntelliJ IDEA, PHPStorm , PyCharm, RubyMine, RustRover and WebStorm. Additionally, the Warp and Prompt terminal apps have been added as integrations. These applications complement VS Code, Xcode, Terminal, iTerm 2 and TextEdit as integrated apps.
But coding applications won't be the one applications ChatGPT desktop apps can access. OpenAI has also added Apple Notes, Notion, and Quip to its integrations. Advanced Language Mode can work with these applications while considering the context of the projects within the integrations.
OpenAI emphasized that users must give ChatGPT permission to access these applications.
Let ChatGPT use your computer for you
Of course, app integrations with AI chatbots are nothing latest. In October, GitHub Copilot has added integrations for coding platforms. Connecting applications to ChatGPT or Copilot integrates the context of those platforms into the chat experience. Developers can ask ChatGPT for coding assistance on a project they’ve in VS Code and the chatbot will understand what they’ve been working on.
Kevin Weil, chief product officer at OpenAI, said during a livestream that improving the desktop app will help the corporate move closer to an agent user experience for ChatGPT.
“We put quite a lot of effort into our desktop apps,” Weil said. “As our models change into more powerful, ChatGPT becomes more of an agent. This means we transcend just questions and answers. ChatGPT will start doing things for you.”
He added that desktop apps represent “an enormous part” of that transformation.
“As a desktop app, you possibly can do loads greater than only a browser tab,” he said. “This includes things like the power to see what’s in your screen together with your permission and the power to automate much of the work you do in your desktop. We may have way more to say about this in 2025.”
If OpenAI lets ChatGPT see more of your computer, ChatGPT approaches Anthropic's Claude Computer Use feature, which allows Claude to click around on an individual's computer, navigate screens, and even enter text.
OpenAI has already announced a reasonably similar feature for the mobile version of ChatGPT, although the chatbot cannot yet access computers or phones in the identical way. Users can share their screens with the chatbot in order that it will possibly “see” what they’re reading or watching. Microsoft And Google also developed comparable features with Copilot Vision and Project Astra.
Here's tips on how to access it
On macOS, users who need to open ChatGPT while using other applications can use “Option + Space” to bring up ChatGPT and choose the specified application using a button on the chat screen. Another keyboard shortcut, “Option + Shift + 1,” brings up the highest application in use.
From this window, users can even access Advanced Voice Mode in the identical way. Voice mode routinely detects the context of the appliance.
Integrations can be found to ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Team, Enterprise, and Edu users. However, Enterprise and Edu subscribers might want to ask their IT administrators to enable the feature.
