AI Spells the End of OS as We Know It

Artificial intelligence systems help us write essays, produce album art and translate languages. But the bigger impact from these technologies could be a shakeup of the entire software ecosystem, as a developers start to build their products around AI platforms instead of operating systems.

Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Microsoft Corp. are among those joining startup OpenAI in the rush to stake out territory in the nascent market for generative AI — systems that create content that mimics what a human may produce. So far, their attention seems to be on search, which finds and delivers information. Yet those companies, plus Apple Inc., need to look out for replacements to the more crucial platforms upon which much of their businesses are built.