OpenAI buys Sky, former Apple engineers join to build Mac AI interface

OpenAI announced its acquisition of Software Applications Incorporated, the company behind the Mac application Sky. The deal brings the Sky team and its core technology into OpenAI, with a vision to transform ChatGPT from a conversational chatbot into a fully capable desktop assistant that performs actions across a computer’s operating system.

Sky is a natural language interface for macOS. It does not operate like a traditional app. Instead it “floats” over the desktop, allowing the Ai to understand the content on a user’s screen and then take corresponding actions within applications. This functionality goes well beyond the current text-based responses users expect from ChatGPT.

Deep desktop integration

Sky’s ability to "see" what is on the screen and interact with native Mac applications, like summarizing a long document or drafting code, allows the AI to work as a true collaborator in everyday tasks like writing, planning, or coding.

This announcement comes just two days after OpenAI launched ChatGPT Atlas, its new AI-powered web browser for Mac. Atlas is designed to put ChatGPT at the center of web use, automating multi-step tasks within the browser using an "agent mode." Sky extends this agent-like logic to the operating system level, creating a unified vision for OpenAI: owning the entire computing interface on the Apple platform, from the browser to the desktop.

The race for the AI interface

The move intensifies the competition among major tech companies to define the ultimate interface for AI assistance. Anthropic with Claude, Microsoft with Copilot embedded in Windows, and Google with its agent features are all racing to build AI that performs tasks on a user's computer.

While many competitors focus on placing AI inside specific apps or in the browser, Sky represents a different philosophy: ambient assistance. It prioritises an always-on AI layer that operates across applications.

The challenge for OpenAI now lies in how successfully it can incorporate Sky's complex, permission-heavy desktop integration into ChatGPT without creating slow or cumbersome software. If successful, OpenAI could fundamentally change how people interact with their computers. If not, the acquisition risks becoming a talent-focused acqui-hire.