The ChatGPT app for Mac is able to integrate with coding apps, including Xcode, VS Code, TextEdit, iTerm2, and Terminal. The new feature will help simplify workflows when developers copy and paste their code from a coding app into ChatGPT.
Now when the feature is enabled, OpenAI will automatically send the section of code you’re working on through its chatbot as context, alongside your prompt.
However, unlike popular AI coding tools such as Cursor or GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT is currently unable to write code directly into developer apps on your behalf.
TechCrunch saw a demo of the feature, and described it as follows:
In a demo with TechCrunch, an OpenAI employee opened the ChatGPT app and an Xcode environment containing a simple project modeling the solar system – although it was missing the Earth. The employee selected an Xcode tab within ChatGPT, which tells the AI chatbot to look at the app, and prompted the chatbot to “add the missing planets.” The chatbot was able to complete the task, writing a line of code to represent the Earth that matched the rest of the project’s format.
It should be noted that ChatGPT is using the macOS Accessibility API for screen readers that allows apps to read text, which means that it cannot interpret images or videos.
The feature is now available to Plus and Teams users and will roll out to Enterprise and Edu users in the next few weeks. OpenAI says ChatGPT will be able to work with other types of apps moving forward, specifically text-based apps that could be used for writing tasks.