OpenAI is changing the interface of ChatGPT to look more like a digital notepad for projects.
On Thursday, OpenAI announced the launch of a beta “canvas” feature for writing and coding. Canvas differs from traditional chat box interfaces, which makes refining or developing ideas without back-and-forth prompts tedious.
“Although [ChatGPT] The interface is easy to use and suitable for many tasks, but it can be limiting when you want to work on projects that require editing and revision. Canvas provides a new interface for this kind of work,” the announcement said.
This new feature is ChatGPT’s first major design change since its launch in 2022. It is reported new york timesOpenAI told investors it plans to increase revenue to $11.6 billion by 2025 from $3.7 billion this year.
Mix and match speed of light
Canvas makes it easier for users to iterate on ideas using ChatGPT.
Image source: OpenAI
Currently, Canvas is only available to paying subscribers, but OpenAI says it plans to expand it to non-paying users after testing ends. If you are a ChatGPT Plus or Teams user, you can select “ChatGPT 4o with Canvas” from the model drop-down list and get started. Access for Enterprise and Edu subscribers will be rolled out next week.
From here, all you have to do is enter a prompt related to writing or coding and it will launch Canvas by opening a new window. According to OpenAI’s announcement, ChatGPT has been trained to recognize certain cues that trigger the canvas. For writing assistance, users can highlight specific portions of text and then click Ask ChatGPT to edit or ask certain questions about the highlighted text.
There are also shortcuts in the lower left corner for suggesting edits, shortening length, changing reading level, polishing grammar, and adding emoticons. ChatGPT format remains in the left sidebar in case you want to continue the conversation.
Canvas has a shortcut bar for editing.
Image source: OpenAI
For coding, Canvas works in a similar manner by identifying coding-related prompts that trigger new windows. Shortcuts include: inspecting code, adding logs, adding comments, fixing errors, and porting to languages by translating the code into different programming languages (i.e. JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Java, C++, or PHP).
If you make a mistake, you can hit the back button and revert to a previous version. When you’re done working, just close the window and you’ll find yourself back in the normal ChatGPT interface. To find the item again, just click on the saved mod in the chat history.
