If you’ve been wondering where OpenAI is headed next, the answer is becoming crystal clear: they want ChatGPT to run everything on your computer. On October 22, 2025, OpenAI announced the acquisition of Software Applications Incorporated (SAI), the startup behind Sky—a groundbreaking natural language interface for Mac computers. This isn’t just another acquisition. It’s a bold step toward transforming ChatGPT from a helpful chatbot into something much bigger: an AI-powered operating system that helps you get things done, not just answer questions.
The big news? All 12 employees from SAI are joining OpenAI, bringing their expertise in Mac automation directly into ChatGPT’s ecosystem. Nick Turley, OpenAI’s VP and Head of ChatGPT, summed it up perfectly: “We’re building a future where ChatGPT doesn’t just respond to your prompts, it helps you get things done”.
What Exactly is Sky, and Why Does It Matter?
Think of Sky as your personal AI assistant that actually lives on your Mac desktop—not in a browser tab or a separate app window. Sky is a natural language interface that floats over your screen, understands what you’re looking at, and can take actions across different apps.
Here’s what makes it special: Sky can see what’s on your screen and perform complex tasks using your installed applications. In a demonstration video released earlier this year, Sky showed off impressive capabilities—adding dinner plans from a text message to your calendar, researching nearby bars for pre-dinner drinks, and even replying to the text with a complete plan.
Unlike traditional automation tools that require you to learn complicated commands, Sky lets you talk to your computer the way you’d talk to a person. Want to schedule a meeting, draft an email, or organize files? Just ask Sky in plain English, and it handles the rest.
The Former Apple Dream Team Behind Sky
The story gets even more interesting when you look at who built Sky. Software Applications Incorporated was founded in 2023 by Ari Weinstein and Conrad Kramer—the same duo who created Workflow, a popular iOS automation app that Apple acquired back in 2017. After Apple bought Workflow, it became the foundation for Shortcuts, the automation feature now built into every iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Both founders worked at Apple for several years after the acquisition—Kramer left in 2019 and Weinstein in 2023—before reuniting to launch SAI and develop Sky. They’re joined by Kim Beverett, a 10-year Apple veteran who managed products like Safari, Messages, FaceTime, and user privacy. This team knows Mac automation inside and out, having literally built the technology behind Apple’s Shortcuts app.
Weinstein explained their vision: “We’ve always wanted computers to be more empowering, customizable, and intuitive. With LLMs, we can finally put the pieces together. That’s why we built Sky, an AI experience that floats over your desktop to help you think and create”.
How Sky Works: AI That Actually Does Things
So what makes Sky different from just opening ChatGPT in a browser? The answer lies in its deep integration with macOS. Sky comes with built-in “tools” for Calendar, Messages, Notes, web browsing, Finder, email, and screenshots. This means it doesn’t just understand what you’re asking—it can actually perform actions within these apps without you lifting a finger.
For example, if you’re reading a webpage in Safari and want to turn it into a calendar event or save it to Apple Notes, you can simply ask Sky in natural language, and it happens automatically. The app uses powerful AI models (GPT-4.1 and Claude) to understand context and execute complex, multi-step tasks.
What’s truly remarkable is that Sky can be heavily customized through scripting support, custom actions via the Shortcuts app, and personalized prompts. This means the more you use it, the better it gets at understanding your specific workflows and preferences.
OpenAI’s Master Plan: ChatGPT as Your New Operating System
OpenAI’s acquisition of Sky isn’t happening in isolation. It’s part of a much larger strategy to transform ChatGPT from an AI assistant into a full-fledged operating system layer. At OpenAI’s 2025 Developer Day in early October, the company unveiled an Apps SDK that allows developers to create extensions directly inside ChatGPT. This effectively turns ChatGPT into a host environment—a platform where other apps can run, rather than just a standalone application.
Nick Turley revealed the ambitious vision to reporters: “What you’re going to see over the next six months is an evolution of ChatGPT from an app that is really, really useful into something that feels a little bit more like an operating system”. The strategy aims to solve a major problem with today’s computers: the constant friction of switching between multiple apps. Instead of juggling ten different windows and tabs, you could just tell ChatGPT what you need, and it coordinates everything behind the scenes.
Companies like Spotify, Zillow, Canva, Expedia, and Booking.com are already building native applications that run directly within ChatGPT. This means you could ask ChatGPT to “generate a party playlist on Spotify” or “find three-bedroom homes under $500,000 on Zillow,” and the respective apps appear and execute tasks inside your chat window—all while maintaining conversational context.
ChatGPT’s Atlas Browser
Recently, OpenAI also rolled out its own browser—ChatGPT Atlas, and it’s making a huge splash in the tech world. Atlas isn’t like Chrome or Safari. Instead, it puts ChatGPT right at the center of your browsing experience, so you can ask questions, get summaries, automate tasks, and even have ChatGPT perform actions across the web without ever leaving your current tab.
Atlas gives you a sidebar for chatting with any webpage—highlight text to get instant explanations or summaries, ask for help with emails, shopping, research, or even planning a trip, all from one place. Its browser memories feature lets ChatGPT recall sites you’ve visited to help with follow-up tasks, and the powerful Agent Mode means ChatGPT can go from being a helpful assistant to an active collaborator that automates jobs (like booking flights or filling forms) while you browse.
Atlas is launching first on Mac, with plans for Windows and mobile coming soon. Whether you’re a casual user or someone who works online all day, Atlas makes your browser smarter and more personal—it even helps import your old bookmarks, passwords, and browsing history so you can get started in seconds.
With Sky, Atlas, and ongoing updates to ChatGPT, OpenAI is clearly building a future where AI is at the heart of how we use computers—and soon, how we browse the internet too.
Beyond Software: OpenAI’s Hardware Ambitions
OpenAI isn’t stopping at software. Earlier this year, the company made headlines by acquiring Jony Ive’s AI startup io for approximately $6.4 billion in an all-equity deal. Ive, the legendary former Apple designer behind the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, is now working with OpenAI to develop a “family of devices” that could run this new AI operating system natively.
At OpenAI’s developer conference, Ive hinted at his vision: “I don’t think we have an easy relationship with our technology at the moment”. This suggests the new devices will prioritize natural, intuitive interaction—exactly what Sky was designed to deliver.
OpenAI is also working with Broadcom to produce its own AI chips by 2026, reducing dependence on NVIDIA and optimizing the integration between hardware and software. These moves reflect a broader strategy of vertical integration—controlling everything from the chips to the operating system to the hardware devices.
What This Means for You (and for Microsoft and Google)
OpenAI’s transformation into an AI operating system platform puts it on a direct collision course with some of the biggest names in tech. The company is reportedly developing productivity features that would compete with Google Workspace and Microsoft Office 365. These features include collaborative document editing (like Google Docs), real-time team chat, and meeting transcription tools.
This is particularly awkward because Microsoft has invested billions in OpenAI and has been a strategic partner since 2019. Microsoft integrated OpenAI’s technology into its products, including Bing search (later rebranded as Microsoft Copilot). But now OpenAI is building competing products while simultaneously expanding beyond its Microsoft partnership by adding Google Cloud and CoreWeave to meet computing demands.
For everyday users, the implications are exciting: ChatGPT could become the central hub for all your digital work. Instead of learning different interfaces for email, calendars, documents, and project management, you’d just talk to ChatGPT in natural language, and it would coordinate everything across all your apps.
With 800 million users already using ChatGPT, OpenAI has a massive audience ready to adopt these new capabilities. And with the Sky team’s deep macOS expertise now on board, Mac users can expect especially powerful integration in the coming months.
The Road Ahead: From Chatbot to Computing Platform
OpenAI’s vision is ambitious, even by Silicon Valley standards. CEO Sam Altman recently announced plans to build about 30 gigawatts of computing capacity at an estimated cost of $1.4 trillion, with a long-term goal of adding 1 gigawatt every week. This infrastructure buildout reflects the enormous computing power needed to run AI systems at the scale OpenAI envisions.
The acquisition of Sky represents more than just adding new features to ChatGPT. It signals OpenAI’s commitment to reimagining the entire computing experience around conversational AI. Just as the web browser quietly became the hub for most knowledge work over the last decade, OpenAI believes chat will become the universal application surface for the next era of computing.
For Mac users specifically, the integration of Sky’s technology means ChatGPT will soon be able to understand context from your screen, take actions across multiple apps, and automate complex workflows—all through simple conversations. OpenAI hasn’t announced an exact timeline, but given the urgency of the acquisition and the team’s existing expertise, we can expect to see these capabilities rolling out in the coming months.
The Bottom Line
OpenAI’s purchase of Software Applications Incorporated and its Sky technology isn’t just about buying a Mac app—it’s about building the future of computing. By bringing former Apple automation experts on board and integrating their deep macOS knowledge into ChatGPT, OpenAI is positioning itself to become the AI operating system layer that sits on top of Windows, macOS, and potentially its own future hardware devices.
The message is clear: computers should work for us, not the other way around. And with Sky’s natural language interface coming to ChatGPT, that future is closer than ever. Whether you’re scheduling meetings, managing files, or juggling complex projects across multiple apps, the vision is simple—just tell ChatGPT what you need, and let the AI handle the rest.
For anyone who’s ever felt overwhelmed by the complexity of modern software or frustrated by constantly switching between apps, OpenAI’s new direction offers an exciting promise: a computer that truly understands what you want and makes it happen. And that’s not science fiction anymore—it’s happening right now.
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