Simon Willison

Understanding ChatGPT Work

OpenAI launched ChatGPT Work on July 9, offering two distinct products: Work Cloud, accessed via chatgpt.com or the mobile apps, and Work Local, available through the desktop app that can run programs on a user’s computer. Work Cloud is a paid‑only feature for $20/month and up subscribers, providing advanced capabilities such as code execution with internet access, a headless Chrome browser, and a persistent filesystem across sessions. The author notes that while ChatGPT Work claims to be better for tasks with clear outcomes, many users find the distinction unnecessary and prefer the standard Chat interface for most use cases.

Simon Willison
Sep 16

Claude Cowork and chat are now one Claude

Claude Cowork and the standard chat interface are merging into a single Claude experience, allowing users to hand over tasks or ask quick questions that the system will continue to handle even after the laptop is closed. The rollout will begin with Pro and Max plan users across web, desktop, and mobile, and will extend to new users on these plans over the coming weeks. This integration suggests Claude is evolving into a general agent, simplifying the distinction between Cowork and regular Claude usage.

Simon Willison
Oct 5

Quoting Felix Rieseberg

The article explains the transition from the original Cowork system, which ran model inference and tool calls in a local Anthropic VM, to a new cloud‑based version that hosts both inference and the VM. The new design isolates each session in its own sandbox, eliminates local resource drain, and allows file access through the desktop app, addressing concerns about battery usage, performance, and continuity when a laptop is closed.

Simon Willison
5d ago

datasette-agent 0.5a0

Release: datasette-agent 0.5a0 This is a significant release of Datasette Agent. The most notable new feature is called the panel - it lets the agent chat open and then sit next to pages from...