OpenAI has announced a major update to its ChatGPT app for macOS, enabling integration with various note-taking and coding apps. OpenAI brings agentic ChatGPT for MacOS, allowing users to interact with supported third-party apps seamlessly. This feature, described as “agentic,” allows ChatGPT to read on-screen information from supported apps and provide contextual assistance. The update, unveiled on day 11 of OpenAI’s 12-day shipping schedule, is currently exclusive to paid subscribers.
Supported Apps and Capabilities
The new feature supports approximately 30 macOS applications, spanning IDEs, productivity tools, and terminal apps. With the update, OpenAI brings agentic ChatGPT for MacOS, providing users with enhanced productivity features. Users can now interact with apps like Apple Notes, Notion, Quip, and a range of IDEs including VS Code forks, JetBrains IDEs, and MatLab.
ChatGPT supports the following new apps on Mac:
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IDEs:
BBEdit, Nova, MatLab, Script Editor, and TextMate.
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JetBrains IDEs:
IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, Android Studio, and others.
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VS Code Forks:
VSCode Insiders, VSCodium, Cursor, and WindSurf.
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Terminal Apps:
Warp and Prompts.
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Productivity Tools:
Apple Notes, Quip, and Notion.
With this integration, users can navigate to any part of a supported app and use the shortcut Option + Space to access ChatGPT’s text-field view. The chatbot can analyze the visible content and respond to queries based on the displayed information. Users can highlight specific sections of text or code and request improvements or suggestions with simple commands like, “How to make this better.”
Enhanced Functionality with Advanced Voice Mode
OpenAI brings agentic ChatGPT for MacOS, which integrates with a wide range of apps like Apple Notes and Notion. The integration also supports OpenAI’s Advanced Voice Mode. This allows users to interact with ChatGPT hands-free while working on supported apps.
OpenAI emphasizes privacy and user control. ChatGPT will access app data only with explicit permission, and users can control when and which apps the chatbot can view. OpenAI assures that data shared through ChatGPT will remain as secure as standard conversation history on the platform.
Availability and Subscription Plans
The integration is available exclusively to ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Enterprise, Teams, and Edu subscribers. Free-tier users and Windows app users will have to wait until next year to access this feature.
While the app can be downloaded for free from OpenAI’s official website, only subscribers can access these enhanced features. Additionally, macOS 15.2 now allows direct interaction with ChatGPT via Siri.
Limitations of the Feature
Despite its agentic description, the feature is primarily vision-based. It allows ChatGPT to view content but does not enable interaction or editing within the apps. Tasks like writing or modifying code and text remain outside its scope.
This update marks another step in OpenAI’s ongoing efforts to integrate AI seamlessly into everyday workflows.
The ability of ChatGPT to analyze on-screen content and respond contextually offers clear advantages. Developers can get coding advice, writers can improve their drafts, and professionals can manage workflows more efficiently. The inclusion of Advanced Voice Mode makes the feature even more accessible, enabling hands-free interaction.
However, the functionality is not without its shortcomings. OpenAI describes the feature as “agentic,” yet the AI’s role is passive—it cannot interact with or modify app content. This creates a gap between user expectations and the feature’s actual capabilities. For example, users might anticipate automation for repetitive tasks like code generation or document editing, but these remain manual processes.
The privacy controls provided by OpenAI are reassuring, but they place the responsibility on users to manage app permissions. For less tech-savvy users, understanding and configuring these settings could be challenging.
Also Read: AI Recap 2024: Key Developments Driving the Future of AI.
