OpenAI Canvas Kills Google Docs, Challenges VS Code &#038; Cursor
On the fourth day of 12 Days of OpenAI, the company made Canvas available to everyone, integrating it into ChatGPT’s main interface. The update lets users run Python code in Canvas and works with custom GPTs as well. Canvas, which was previously in beta for Plus users, provides a dedicated interface for working with ChatGPT on writing and coding projects that extend beyond simple chat. The new interface features a split-screen layout, where users can edit text on the left while ChatGPT provides suggestions and feedback on the right. This format makes it easier to draft, refine, and review work. “Canvas – a new way to work with ChatGPT to draft, edit, and get feedback on writing and code – is now available to all users in our 4o model. It’s fully rolled out on the web and the ChatGPT desktop app for Windows,” OpenAI announced. Beyond basic text editing, users can format documents, provide feedback, or even ask ChatGPT to suggest improvements. A unique feature includes shortcuts like adjusting the length of content, simplifying language, or adding emojis, offering creative flexibility. The update has sparked excitement across the user and developer communities. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said, “Canvas is now available to all ChatGPT users and can execute code! More importantly, it can also still emojify your writing.” This will likely pose a threat to Google Docs. ChatGPT Canvas allows users to edit text before prompting ChatGPT to generate the final copy. Users can also ask ChatGPT to leave comments in their drafts and address them later. In simple words, it is like an editor checking copies. “This is kinda neat. OpenAI Canvas (now out of beta and broadly available) can provide line-by-line comments. It almost looks like an AI-superpowered Google Docs,” Tanishq Mathew Abraham, founder of the Medical AI Research Center (MedARC), said in a post on X. Google Docs recently introduced the ‘Help me write’ feature, which enables users to improve existing documents in various styles or generate entire paragraphs with a simple AI prompt. Now, Google is expanding its capabilities with the ‘Help me create’ feature in Gemini, which helps users create documents from scratch. Meanwhile, Microsoft has introduced Copilot in MS Word, which can automatically generate concise summaries of lengthy documents, providing an overview as soon as the file is opened. Users can also prompt Copilot to create entire drafts or sections based on specific requirements. However, it still falls short of Canvas, which offers real-time editing capabilities. ChatGPT is Now a Code Editor For developers, Canvas provides a robust coding experience. Users can write, debug, and run Python code directly in the interface, with features like syntax highlighting, autocomplete, and inline error diagnostics. “One of the new features we want to demonstrate today is the ability to actually run your Python code within Canvas,” said Alexi Christakis, OpenAI member of the technical staff. The feature is powered by a WebAssembly-based Python emulator, allowing instant execution of Python scripts. Christakis also showed a demo where ChatGPT assisted with debugging. After running the code, Canvas flagged an error,  “Label is not defined.” ChatGPT immediately analysed the exception, identifying that the correct function in Matplotlib should be ‘title’ instead of ‘label’. Once the issue is identified, users can click the ‘Fix Bug’ button. ChatGPT then reviews the code and the error to automatically generate a correction. For transparency, the ‘Show Changes’ feature provides an inline diff, allowing users to see exactly what was modified. “Clicking that will give you an inline diff that should be familiar to people who use Git,” Christakis added. “Today’s Canvas updates from OpenAI may seem a bit understated compared to the other big announcements, but I really like what I saw. I am really eager to explore more AI tools for help with long-form writing,” said Bojan Tunguz, former senior systems software Engineer at NVIDIA. He further added that he is excited about the new feature of code execution in Canvas on top of WASM. “I am a big fan of WASM, and am currently working on a project that relies on it,” he said. “One thing I really like about OpenAI’s new canvas mode is how all the Python code it generates comes with docstrings and adheres to basic type-safe rules following Pylint standards. Nicely done, OpenAI!” posted Daniel Merja, founder and general partner at Founders Committee Ventures. Developers like Kol Tregaskes also pointed out the broader implications, simply saying, “Canvas is now a code editor.” Moreover, Canvas can also generate graphics using Python code. This is similar to Anthropic’s Claude Artifacts, which help developers visualise code in real-time and allow users to see, edit, and build upon their creations instantly. Karina Nguyen, an AI researcher at OpenAI, talked about its potential for learning and experimentation. “We’re excited for Canvas to become a more personalised tutor,” she said. “You can ask ChatGPT to explain mathematical concepts, write code to plot them, and learn visually.”  She added that Canvas can become an automated SWE and a data scientist. Threat to Cursor and VS Code? Two months ago, when Canvas was launched in ChatGPT Plus, people compared it with Claude, Cursor, and GitHub Copilot, and they claimed that with this update, OpenAI might just make a lot of people shift back to ChatGPT for writing and coding since the UX of ChatGPT is much better. “OpenAI launched the Canvas feature in ChatGPT, and it’s insane. Bye-bye to all AI IDEs soon,” said a user on X. However, not everyone thinks the same. “No, Cursor did not just become obsolete by OpenAI Canvas. There’s so much more to AI code editing that can’t be done in a canvas. I need my AI to be in an IDE to be fully productive and stay in control of my code,” posted another user on Recently, Sully Omar, CEO of Cognosys, said, “Wonder why OpenAI/Claude/Google haven’t built their own IDE. “I’d gladly pay $500/$1000 per month for an unlimited usage model that is 100% integrated with my IDE.”  Who knows, Canvas might be a step in that direction.
ChatGPT Canvas allows users to edit text before prompting ChatGPT to generate the final copy.
On the fourth day of 12 Days of OpenAI, the company made Canvas available to everyone, integrating it into ChatGPT’s main interface. The update lets users run Python code in Canvas and works with custom GPTs as well. 
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Siddharth is a media graduate who loves to explore tech through journalism and putting forward ideas worth pondering about in the era of artificial intelligence.