Your PC Has Started Working for You
機械翻訳 / Machine-translated
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機械翻訳 / Machine-translated
On April 16, 2026, OpenAI announced a new version of Codex — an AI agent that keeps running in the background even while you sleep or step away from your computer.
It moves the cursor, opens apps, clicks, and types. Like a colleague sitting right beside you, it carries out your instructions — and with its "Memory" feature, it remembers what you worked on last time. The more you use it, the more it learns how you work.
This is not simply the evolution of a chatbot. It is the first step toward a future where tasks you gave up on get done on their own.
According to TechCrunch, on April 16, 2026, OpenAI announced a major update to its coding-assistance AI, "Codex." The three main new features are as follows.
Until now, AI tools only worked while the user had a browser or dedicated app open. The new Codex runs persistently in the background of your PC and can begin working on a task the moment it receives an instruction.
Codex can open and operate any app on your PC — Notepad, Excel, your browser, Slack. It moves the cursor, clicks, and enters text. Whatever a human would do with a mouse and keyboard, the AI does instead.
The newly added "Memory" feature remembers what was done in past sessions. Tell it "create a report in the same format as last time," and it will reproduce the layout, data arrangement, and file save location exactly.
As Anthropic's Claude Code rises to prominence as "the go-to tool for business use," OpenAI is positioning these enhancements as its answer.
Here I want to offer the HAIIA perspective. This technology points to a possibility where AI takes care of the tasks you've been putting off with a vague "I'll get to that someday."
Imagine these scenarios.
Someone who wants to do freelance design work but keeps getting buried in Excel tasks
→ Tell Codex: "Every Friday at 5 p.m., compile the sales data and turn it into a report in Format A" — and the work is finished while you focus on design.
Someone who wants to read English materials but keeps giving up because translation feels like too much work
→ Ask it: "Translate this PDF into Japanese and summarize the key points in bullet form" — and Codex will link your browser, translation tool, and notes app to deliver the finished result.
Someone who wants to learn coding but gave up during environment setup
→ Say: "Set up a Python development environment and run the sample code" — and Codex will open VSCode, install the packages, and show you the output.
2026 is being called "the year of the AI agent." Research shows that more than 80% of companies have already tested or adopted generative AI applications (compared to just 5% in 2023). Yet in the realm of personal use, many people are still at the stage of "asking questions in a chat window."
The new Codex breaks down that wall. Just give an instruction, and your entire PC moves. In a world where this becomes the norm, "I don't have time, so I'll give up" becomes a far less common choice.
The "self-realization" pillar of HAIIA's three axes lies on the other side of this kind of technology. AI handles the routine work, and you can focus on what you truly want to do.
This technology is still in limited release, but tools with the same direction are already available. Claude Code (by Anthropic) and Devin (a coding-focused AI agent) can already be tried by individuals as of April 2026.
Start small.
Pick one routine task
Choose one repetitive task you do every week — compiling data, sorting emails, organizing files.
Give the AI an instruction
Explain the steps of that task to Claude or ChatGPT, and ask which parts could be automated. You don't need to automate everything at once. It will come back with suggestions like "What if you let AI handle just this part?"
Review with AI once a week
Ask the AI: "Were there any tasks I did this week that could be automated?" Tools with a memory feature will make suggestions based on your past interactions.
For those who want to learn AI skills in a structured way, HAIIA's certification program is also an option. You'll learn not just how to use the tools, but how to decide "what to delegate to AI and what to keep doing yourself."
And if you're thinking "I want to start doing something with AI," take a look at our community page. Moving forward with others who are headed in the same direction makes it much easier for a dream to gain momentum.
OpenAI made the announcement on April 16, 2026, but as of now it is still in a limited rollout (available only to select users). A general release date has not been announced. However, other AI agent tools with similar capabilities — such as Claude Code and Devin — are already available to individuals.
AI agents only operate within the scope explicitly permitted by the user. In the case of Codex, a system for confirming in advance which apps it accesses and what actions it takes is expected to be implemented. That said, when dealing with confidential information, it is important to carefully define the range of data you allow the AI to access.
This is a concern many people share, but AI is a tool for "reducing routine work and freeing up time for creative thinking." Just as using Excel macros or a calculator doesn't diminish your numerical ability, using AI won't erode the skills that truly matter — judgment, planning, communication. In fact, the process of learning to use AI well builds the ability to discern "what should be delegated to AI and what shouldn't."
This article is republished from HAIIA Notes.