OpenAI’s Updated ChatGPT for Mac App Makes Multitasking Easier Than Ever

2 minutes of reading Last updated: August 7, 2024 | 11:00 AM IST

American AI startup OpenAI has updated its ChatGPT app for Mac to make multitasking easier. While the previous version worked similarly to Apple’s Spotlight, opening a text entry field when you press Option + Space on your keyboard, the updated app offers side-by-side access, opening a companion window that stays on top of other open apps for easier access.

“The macOS desktop app now lets you access ChatGPT side-by-side. Use Option + Space to open a companion window that stays on top, making it easier to use while working with other apps,” Open AI on X writes.

Previously, pressing the Option key along with the Space bar on the keyboard would bring up a text entry field similar to Apple’s Spotlight for ChatGPT. Users could type or upload files to ChatGPT from any app within this text entry prompt. This feature allowed users to quickly access ChatGPT from an app they were already using, but ChatGPT only became the main window when users decided to return to it.

Now, pressing Option + Space brings up the same text box, but creates a mini ChatGPT window that appears next to the app you’re already using. This mini window can be expanded to a full window, but it’s not the default window. This will reduce window switching, which is especially annoying on smaller displays. Users can check out the new ChatGPT update on Mac.

OpenAI recently confirmed that it is working on a text watermarking method for ChatGPT-generated content, following a report by the Wall Street Journal. According to the US AI firm, its text watermarking method is accurate and “even effective against local manipulations such as paraphrasing, it is less resistant to global manipulations.” However, the company has held off on doing so until now due to concerns about stigmatizing the use of AI as a useful writing tool for non-native English speakers.

First published: August 7, 2024 | 10:59 AM IST