One of the biggest AI stories of the year isn’t a new model. It’s a change in how people are using AI. A new research paper from OpenAI, Columbia University, Wharton, and Duke analyzed real world usage of Codex and found compelling evidence that we’re moving beyond chatbots into the era of AI agents. Instead of asking AI isolated questions like: “Summarize this article.” People are increasingly saying: “Research this topic, analyze the data, build a presentation, draft an email, and let me know when it’s finished.” That shift may sound subtle, but it’s enormous. The study found: • Active Codex users grew more than fivefold during the first half of 2026. • Tasks estimated to require eight or more hours of human work have increased nearly tenfold. • More users are managing multiple AI agents simultaneously. • Adoption is accelerating well beyond software developers into legal, finance, recruiting, operations, and research. We’re witnessing the evolution from AI as a tool that...