OpenAI wants to create a ChatGPT operating system
Over the past few years, it has managed to captivate users with ChatGPT, but OpenAI has bigger plans. It wants to create an operating system with ChatGPT at its heart.
Nick Turley, the head of ChatGPT, told TechCrunch that he believes that the company is inspired by browsers, to create an OS. He says that browsers have become the primary tool at the workplace because of web apps. Turley isn't the first one to compare browsers with an operating system. In fact, a couple of browsers were already designed like that, Arc Browser and Dia Browser. The Browser Company's CEO, Josh Miller, had the same idea as Turley.
It's worth noting that back in April this year, Turley had told a U.S. court that OpenAI would be interested in buying Chrome, if Google were to be forced to sell it. A couple of months later, rumors began circling that OpenAI was building its own AI browser to rival Perplexity's Comet browser. Turley did not confirm the rumors, nor did he deny it, but believes that ChatGPT will evolve into a platform with various apps.
AI-powered is advancing rapidly. In September, OpenAI had added shopping capabilities in ChatGPT, allowing users to buy products from Etsy, and Shopify (coming soon). OpenAI launched apps in ChatGPT earlier this week, with support for Expedia, Uber, Thumbtack, Instacart, DoorDash, Target, Booking.com, Canva, Coursera, Figma, Spotify and Zillow. These apps are available in English for all users, except those in the European Union. A couple of days ago, I reported about the Spotify app's availability in ChatGPT. A couple of days ago, Google introduced the Gemini 2.5 Computer Use model in Google AI Studio and Vertex AI.
If AI can provide and handle everything a user needs, it eliminates the need for interaction with other browsers or apps. That's sort of what OpenAI seems to think, clearly that is the motivation to create a ChatGPT operating system. Whether that is a good thing for users, and would actually serve as a replacement for Windows, Linux and macOS, is a completely different story. I feel it's a little far-fetched, and possibly difficulty to achieve, in terms of attracting users. An AI-powered browser would likely help win users over far easier than an OS. Not that I like either idea, of course.
What do you think about an AI-powered operating system?
It is a good idea. however, they need to know that browser and operating system is a different game and Chat GPT cannot enter it with just relying on its single strong point, AI. They need a benchmark and several case studies for example Window 11(some did buy new laptop while other migrate to linux). And one piece of advice from mine: please don’t become over exclusive like apple because you are not a sole player in this industry. One stupid mistake and you will severely punished by both consumers and rivals.
This seems more like a desperate attempt to create more hype to fleece gullible investors.
Click on a “print” button in Windows, MacOS, or Linux and the item is printed.
Click on a “print” button in OpenAIOS…oh, there’s no button, you get to debate with OpenAIOS for hours while it does everything possible EXCEPT printing.
Yeah, good luck with that.
“Google tried to create an OS and popularize it, it wasn’t very successful.”
Isn’t Android Googles’ OS? I think it’s kind of popular and widespread.
The article doesn’t specify if the OS is targeting mobile or desktop devices, so when I imagine OS, first to mind comes desktop OSes. If you want to get into technicalities, Android is another OS that Google has, also Fuchsia OS, but that’s not the point.
Chrome OS never took off outside of school computers, because it just lacked basic functionalities at launch and it came in an oversaturated market where Windows is dominant, there are also Mac and Linux. In contrast, Android succeeded, because there was only Apple and it was already expensive, while Android phones were much more cheaper and affordable.
Even now Linux and Mac can’t really compete with Windows despite having more compatibility for software. You still need to go out of your way to do things to get this to work. I use Linux for a while and I can tell you even for me it gets a bit annoying after a while. Give a vanilla Linux Mint to someone who can barely use Windows and watch how successful it’s gonna be. For a Linux distro to become widely accessible among Average Joes who don’t know anything, it has to have Proton or Wine deeply integrated from the start, as well as drivers so when you first boot to the desktop you can start installing and using .exe and .msi programs seamlessly so you can’t even tell the difference. I’m not sure I know a distro that does this yet, maybe there is. And yet Linux still has minuscule market share, even if it’s well established, very mature and has a lot of worldwide contribution support. If Google with all their money and marketing can’t get people to use Chrome OS and ditch Windows or Mac, there must be a reason.
‘The article doesn’t specify if the OS is targeting mobile or desktop devices, so when I imagine OS, first to mind comes desktop OSes’
Okay, I got ya. Agree.
Not only that. Google is bringing next year Chrome OS to PCs with Qualcomm processors. Chrome OS will be able to run programs that are coded specifically for it, and all Android Apps that are could be previously run on tablets.
ChromeOS will be no more…it will slowly morph into Android OS..Google has conformed this.
This is just further signaling the integration of AI into OSes as standard. Companies like Google, Microsoft and Apple (among others) have the advantage of having battled-tested OSes out in the public.
They are far better position to integrate the OS w/AI (and have already started doing so).
The big question for the user… who does AI belong to? The multinationals or the user? The answer is the multinationals and that means that every single thought expressed belongs to them.
I suspect that Linux will be a hold out until it can offload AI directly unto a user’s distro effectively to be run locally only.
Google tried to create an OS and popularize it, it wasn’t very successful. I’m pretty sure it’s also based on Linux, so they didn’t build it from the ground up either.
The only other OS projects that I know of are:
– Temple OS, not very useful, but still technically a from the ground up OS
– Huawei’s HarmonyOS for both mobile devices and laptops (so far) and it’s not based on Linux, nor does it have a Linux kernel like ChromeOS
So if Google didn’t gain much success with their own OS, I can’t see how an entirely new OS that doesn’t offer anything special will gain success. ChromeOS was advertised as lightweight and fast, but since it’s based on Linux you can install additional programs, even Steam and play games, but with this ChatGPT OS, I don’t know what kind of audience will it attract. Will you be able to play games on it or use traditional software for work such as Adobe Suite, CAD software and so forth? Who is it aimed at? My guess is they might make their own Linux distro, because since ChatGPT doesn’t even have its own dedicated browser so they can use it to measure how many people are interested in it, it’s like shooting in the dark.
I’d be generally interested in a new OS, especially if it’s built from the ground up and the main focus is general use, not AI or programming or military or anything specific, just for normal users.