OpenAI buys Sky, an AI interface for Mac

OpenAI announcement On Thursday it acquired Software Applications, Inc., maker of an AI-powered natural language interface for Mac computers called Sky.

The software product, which has not been released to the public, is designed to work alongside you throughout your day, as you use computer apps, write, plan, code and more. Like AI browsers, Sky can see what’s on your screen and take actions in your apps for you.

The move is an important step toward embedding OpenAI’s technology into the daily lives of consumers and Mac-powered businesses.

“We’ve always wanted computers to be more empowering, customizable and intuitive. With the LLM, we can finally put the pieces together. That’s why we created Sky, an AI experience that floats to your desktop to help you think and create. We’re thrilled to join OpenAI to bring that vision to millions of people.” said in a statement.

Notably, the team behind Sky previously had another prominent exit.

Weinstein And Konrad Kramer Previously co-founded Workflow, which they sold to AppleWhere it has evolved into the technology now known as Shortcut. Both continued to work at Apple for several years before founding Software Applications in August 2023. The third co-founder and COO of Sky, Kim BeverettWas a senior program and product manager at Apple, where he worked for nearly 10 years on technologies such as Safari, WebKit, Privacy, Messages, Mail, Phone, FaceTime, and SharePlay.

Apple, which has been a laggard in AI so far, is expected to launch an overhauled Siri with AI smarts next year. Apple has already shipped other features that use its AI technology known as Apple Intelligence, including writing assistants, live translation, image creation, visual search, and more. It’s working with OpenAI to prevent Siri from responding to ChatGPT. Apple Intelligence works across platforms, including Mac.

Additionally, Apple offers a Foundation Model Framework that provides access to native AI models, allowing developers to build AI directly into their apps.

However, Apple values ​​privacy as a core part of its AI offering, and an agentic system that watches your screen and takes action on your behalf may raise concerns for some of its more security-minded customers. Agentic AI is still in its early days, and recent reviews indicate that AI browsers have many security risks. As a result, it may take time for Apple to launch a Mac AI system comparable to Sky.

Terms of the deal to acquire OpenAI were not disclosed, but Sky’s creator raised $6.5 million from investors including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Figma CEO Dylan Field, Context Ventures and Stellation Capital. Pitchbook. OpenAI revealed that Altman held a passive interest in the startup through an investment fund.

The deal was led by Nick Turley, head of ChatGPT and OpenAI’s CEO of Applications, Fiji Simo, and approved by OpenAI’s board.