My colleague wanted a nerdy, niche tool for his MacBook. Codex whipped it up in minutes.

In this week's AI Playground feature, we delve into the innovative use of OpenAI's Codex, shared by Stephen Council, a prominent AI reporter at Business Insider. This tool has enabled users to develop software solutions without the need for traditional coding, making it a game-changer in tech productivity. Recently, OpenAI integrated Codex with ChatGPT, enhancing its capabilities just in time for this exploration. Council expressed his admiration for the copy-paste function, highlighting how it has streamlined his workflow by eliminating errors in names and quotes, and saving valuable time. This week, he sought to create a more advanced version of the copy-paste function, one that would allow him to store multiple text strings simultaneously. While there are existing clipboard managers available, many come with costs or additional steps that can slow down productivity. In just over five minutes, with a straightforward 190-word prompt, Codex delivered an application tailored to his needs. Now, Council enjoys nine distinct copy-paste slots on his MacBook, enhancing his efficiency. The traditional command-c and command-v still function as expected, but he can now access additional text snippets effortlessly with cmd-c-2 and cmd-c-3, and so forth. The app conveniently resides in his menu bar, providing instant access to what each slot holds. This tool exemplifies the niche yet powerful applications that coding can achieve, showcasing how AI continues to reshape our everyday tasks.