OpenAI launches Codex programme to translate everyday language into computer code

OpenAI has taken wraps off Codex, a new machine learning algorithm that can recognise everyday language and translate it into computer code.

Designed to accelerate a coder’s work, by typing in written prompts the computer can effectively turn normal language into computer code.

Codex is a descendent of OpenAI’s GPT-3, released last year, which is already a natural-language machine learning algorithm. GPT-3 generates natural language in response to a natural prompt. Codex has taken much of what GPT-3 has learnt of the English language and uses it to issue commands to any piece of software with an API, allowing computers to better understand people’s intent.

Researchers at OpenAI state that Codex currently completes around 37% of requests.

OpenAI stated in a blog: “We’re now making OpenAI Codex available in private beta via our API, and we are aiming to scale up as quickly as we can safely. During the initial period, OpenAI Codex will be offered for free.”