OpenAI Moves to Untangle ChatGPT’s Split-Screen Workflow
OpenAI Moves to Untangle ChatGPT’s Split-Screen Workflow
ChatGPT’s desktop app has accumulated a maze of destinations: ChatGPT and Codex at the top level, then separate Chat and Work tabs inside ChatGPT. That structure can leave users unsure where a project lives—or where an idea is meant to become actual work.
OpenAI is now preparing to remove one of those splits. In an email to users, the company said it will merge Chat and Work into a single ChatGPT experience, initially making the redesign available to a select group for feedback before a wider release.
The company’s pitch is continuity. “This will enable you to move from exploring an idea to having ChatGPT carry it through, all in one place,” OpenAI said, describing a workspace where users can add files and plugins, then direct the assistant to build a website, create a presentation or handle tasks on the web while they review the results.
The consolidation does not mean every OpenAI tool is being folded into the same window. Codex will remain a separate experience in the desktop app, according to the email. Thibault Sottiaux of OpenAI also cautioned that the work is underway but “not rolling out just yet.”
There is a practical catch alongside the cleaner interface: ChatGPT and Codex will draw from the same token allowance pool. OpenAI said most users should not be affected, though heavier use or certain models could mean waiting more often for a reset.
The move follows a similar turn by Anthropic, which merged Claude’s chat and Cowork functions earlier this year. The competitive lesson is clear: AI companies increasingly see conversation and execution not as separate products, but as stages of the same job.
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