Codex AI: Building Mac Apps with a Virtual Pet

A new feature in OpenAI's Codex desktop app, a virtual pet, is helping users understand its capabilities. Initially, this "Lil Finder Guy" pet helped one user overcome the challenge of knowing what to do with Codex. Now, that user is running two Mac apps built with Codex in just one month. These apps serve personal needs, like tracking App Store activity and improving a social network experience on Mac. This experience highlights how much app-building tools have advanced since last summer. Compared to previous attempts using ChatGPT, Codex allowed for a functioning app to be created quickly, turning an idea into viable software almost immediately. The key difference is Codex's "Computer Use" feature, which works effectively in the background on Mac. This shows the growing potential of AI in personal software development.