OpenAI explains why the new ChatGPT interface became confusing and how it will be changed

OpenAI acknowledged that the new interface after merging ChatGPT and Codex desktop apps has become too confusing for users. President Greg Brockman agreed with a journalist's assessment that the interface looks clumsy. He explained that the company planned to move directly to a design without separate tabs but decided to roll out changes gradually to gather user feedback. Eventually, the Work functions will become part of ChatGPT and cease to be a separate section. The criticism arose after merging ChatGPT and Codex and launching the Work mode. After complaints, OpenAI updated the interface by adding separate Chat and Work tabs and a menu to switch between ChatGPT and Codex, but developers still consider it temporary. Brockman noted that the controversial redesign helped achieve a key goal: Codex audience jumped from 5 to 10 million users within days after the update. He acknowledged that part of the growth is due to integration with ChatGPT, but that allowed more users to experience AI agent capabilities. OpenAI plans to make agent features available to the mass consumer and embed them into the standard ChatGPT usage scenario, so users won't have to switch between separate apps or modes.