Predictions:
In 2023, I predicted that the age of the AI agent would begin. I imagined autonomous digital helpers transforming marketing, communications, leadership, and personal productivity. I was right. But I was also wrong. Because it wasn't until 2025, AI agents arrived en masse and...
Not in the areas I expected.
They landed FIRST in software engineering.
Thanks to OpenAI’s release of Codex, we now (apparently) have a production-ready AI teammate.
Not a gimmick. Not a chatbot. A true agent.
Codex isn’t a shiny toy for casual users asking, “Build me a website.” It isn’t about vibe coding or low-code wizardry. This is hardcore, production-grade automation designed for real developers working in live environments. As Pietro Schirano, one early user, bluntly put it: “This is definitely not for vibe coding. It’s for actual engineers working in prod.”
And that’s exactly why it matters.
From Code Assistant to Engineering Teammate
What makes Codex revolutionary is not its coding ability alone. We’ve had tools like Copilot, Replit, and Cursor that assist with code. Codex goes further. It spins up a remote development environment, connects to your repository, reads your commit history, executes tests, and proposes pull requests—all autonomously.
It doesn’t just write code. It does the work.
It operates based on a new model, codex-1, derived from OpenAI's o3 reasoning model but tuned for engineering logic. It:
- Handles multi-step coding tasks.
- Spawns parallel agents to work on multiple problems.
- Runs test suites until success or logical exhaustion.
- Uses an AGENTS.md file to understand project rules.
This is an agent. Not a tool. And it’s not a preview of the future. It’s live now.
Companies like Temporal, Superhuman, and Kodiak Robotics are already integrating Codex into their pipelines. Temporal uses it for debugging and test automation. Superhuman lets product managers (non-engineers) use Codex to suggest code changes. Kodiak employs it to support their autonomous driving codebase.
These are not experiments. These are production use cases.
Compare and Contrast: Codex vs the Pretenders
Codex is launching into a noisy world. A world of hype. And many will ask: isn't this just another Replit? Another Copilot? Another fancy wrapper like Windsurf?
Here’s the truth:
Replit has an AI layer (Ghostwriter) and a powerful online IDE, but it’s assistive. You’re still driving the ship.
Cursor is a VSCode fork with smart copiloting. Great UX. But again, it helps you code. It doesn’t act independently.
Databutton aims at non-coders, wrapping AI around visual workflows. Impressive, but not autonomous. But to be honest, it is VERY IMPRESSIVE - so much so it's my favourite...
Windsurf (an OpenAI-backed stealth startup) might be Codex's long-term UI, but Codex itself is the core agentic leap.
The difference? Codex doesn’t assist. It acts.
It doesn’t suggest ideas. It completes tasks. Apparently....
And it doesn’t do this in your browser. It does it in a secure, cloud-based dev environment with your codebase and tests already loaded. It works while you sleep.
This is a leap. A structural shift. A different category altogether.
The Thin Edge of the Wedge
Codex is the thin edge of the wedge. The start of something exponential.
Right now, it’s in engineering. Because engineering is structured. Code is logical. Testable. Measurable. But soon, AI agents will move laterally into other functions.
- Marketing: running experiments, analysing funnel drop-offs, and refining messaging.
- HR: tracking engagement, proposing DEI strategies, and managing workflows.
- Operations: adjusting supply chains and flagging inefficiencies.
- Communications: crisis response, internal pulse checks, and sentiment analysis.
Every knowledge job becomes agent-accessible.
We’re not talking about single-task tools. We’re talking about agents that:
- Receive goals.
- Access data.
- Reason through steps.
- Act.
- Report.
That’s not science fiction. That’s Codex. Right now. In code.
The Fifth Industrial Revolution in Action
We are in the Fifth Industrial Revolution. A convergence of human intelligence and machine intelligence. Not man vs machine. But man + machine.
This era isn’t about replacing humans. It’s about partnering with digital agents who can enhance what we do.
As I outline in my book, The Fifth Industrial Revolution: The New Intelligence, we must now cultivate not just Artificial Intelligence, but:
- Emotional Intelligence: to empathize, lead, and inspire.
- Organizational Intelligence: to align teams and strategy.
- Independent Intelligence: to think critically and adapt.
Codex does not have these. It doesn’t dream. It doesn’t persuade. It doesn’t lead. That’s our job.
But it does execute better than any junior developer. It does not need motivation. And it does scale without burnout.
Used wisely, it becomes your most reliable colleague.
What This Means for Work
Let’s face the hard truth: AI won’t take your job. But a human using AI will.
Codex allows senior developers to multiply their output. Product managers to push fixes. Startups to build faster with smaller teams. And it’s only the beginning.
The same trend will unfold across industries:
- Writers using agents to draft, edit, and research.
- Designers using agents to A/B test UI flows.
- Sales teams using agents to craft hyper-personalised outreach.
If you ignore this, you become obsolete. If you embrace it, you become indispensable.
2025 is the year of the AI agent. Just not in the department you expected.
Lead or Be Led
The companies that win won’t be the ones with the biggest budgets. They’ll be the ones with the best test suites. The clearest documentation. The most agile processes.
Because when agents like Codex hit your industry, they will hit fast. And if your infrastructure isn’t ready, you won’t be able to harness them. You’ll be outpaced by those who can.
AI agents don’t care about your brand. They don’t admire your legacy. They go where they’re enabled.
So enable them. Prepare. Shift your mindset from doer to orchestrator.
This is the new literacy. Not just knowing how to prompt, but knowing how to lead a team of invisible, tireless workers who never sleep.
You need to:
- Learn agent orchestration.
- Build AI literacy across your org.
- Create infrastructure that welcomes autonomy.
Codex is the first credible shot across the bow. You can bet that Copilot X, Google I/O’s latest dev agents, and a thousand clones will follow.
We’re entering a world where every dev environment, every marketing suite, every CRM, and every ops dashboard will come with a "Spawn Agent" button.
Will you click it? Or will you be replaced by someone who does?
The Time Is Now
Codex is not hype. It’s happening.
This isn’t a product launch. It’s a platform shift.
OpenAI has redefined the developer experience. And in doing so, has shown the rest of us what’s coming.
2025 is the year of the AI agent. It started in code. It won’t end there.
We are entering a time where software builds itself, strategies are drafted by algorithms, and value is created by those who orchestrate rather than operate.
This is the future of work. This is the Fifth Industrial Revolution. And it’s already here.
As Jason Hood noted in The AI Innovator,
"OpenAI has created a cloud-based tool that doesn’t just write and test code—it works alongside you, freeing your mind to focus on higher-value thinking. This isn't a beta product. This is the start of something permanent."
Let that sink in.
About The Author:
Keynote speaker, professional speaker, Ted X talker, serial tech startup founder, ex marketing agency owner, digital trainer, and now author and media spokesperson Dan Sodergren’s main area of interest is the future of work, technology, data and AI In his spare time, as well as being a dad, which comes first, Dan is a digital marketing and technology (and now AI) expert for TV shows and the BBC and countless radio shows.
Occasionally donning the cape of consumer champion on shows like BBC WatchDog, the One Show and RipOffBritain and being a marketing tech specialist for SuperShoppers and RealFakeAndUnknown and BBC Breakfast.
He is also a host and guest on podcasts and webinars speaking as a tech futurist. And a remote reporter / content creator for tech companies at tech events and shows.
His main interest is in the future. Be that the future of marketing, or the future or work or how AI and technology will change the world for the better as part of the #FifthIndustrialRevolution.
Find out more about him here bit.ly/DanSodergren
References for the piece:
- https://openai.com/index/introducing-codex
- https://devops.com/openai-codex-transforming-software-development-with-ai-agents/
- https://aisecret.us/openai-launched-codex-in-chatgpt-for-ai-coding-supremacy/
- https://the-ai-innovator19.beehiiv.com/p/this-ai-writes-and-tests-code