New feature directly competes with Cursor and GitHub Copilot by allowing ChatGPT to intervene in the programming environment
From March 6, ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Team on macOS have been able to use the feature to edit code directly in programming environments such as Xcode, VS Code, and JetBrains. This feature supports "auto-apply" mode, helping users apply changes without additional steps.
This is the next step after the "work with applications" capability launched in November 2024, which only allowed ChatGPT to read code from programming environments. With the new capability, OpenAI is moving into the field of specialized AI programming support tools.
Alexander Embiricos, a member of the OpenAI product team, confirmed on X that the Windows version will also soon receive a similar feature. Meanwhile, Enterprise, Edu, and free account users will be updated next week.
ChatGPT for macOS can now edit code directly in IDEs. Available to Plus, Pro, and Team users. pic.twitter.com/WPB2RMP0tj
— OpenAI Developers (@OpenAIDevs) March 6, 2025
This move comes as AI-powered programming support tools are becoming more widespread. According to a GitHub survey, most developers have already adopted AI in some form. Jared Friedman of Y Combinator even revealed that a quarter of the W25 startups have up to 95% of their source code generated by AI.
However, experts also warn of the risks. A Harness survey shows that developers have to spend more time debugging code generated by AI compared to code written by humans. Google also reported that while AI can accelerate code review, it can still affect the stability of software development.
