Nothing’s ‘first step’ to an ‘AI OS’ is not first, or an OS, but is fascinating

Nothing’s Playground instrumentality lets users plan smartphone apps with AI.

Nothing says it has conscionable taken “the archetypal measurement towards an AI-native operating system.” Not exactly. Playground, Nothing’s caller app store filled with user-designed, AI-generated apps, is neither Nothing’s archetypal step, nor is it an operating strategy — it’s built connected Android. But the thought lands, and beneath the hype, it is genuinely breathtaking — a glimpse of smartphones that consciousness much idiosyncratic and adaptable, with a wide imaginativeness for wherever this mightiness spell successful the future. 

The bold proclamation of an AI-native OS centers connected the motorboat of Essential, which Nothing says brings america person to a satellite “where devices accommodate to people, not the different mode around.” In plain speak, Essential is Nothing’s “name for each our AI-related products,” laminitis and CEO Carl Pei tells The Verge. Despite the London startup claiming to beryllium unveiling Essential today, the enactment really has respective products unrecorded already, including an AI hunt instrumentality and Essential Space, which organizes dependable notes and images.

What’s truly caller is Playground, and with it Essential Apps. Playground is fundamentally Nothing’s instrumentality connected an app store. Filling it volition beryllium apps designed successful Essential Apps, an AI-powered instrumentality that tin physique elemental apps from written prompts alone. In short, users tin plan their ain apps for their ain needs. Nothing suggests a temper tracker that syncs with a euphony playlist, a receipt-to-expenses-form pipeline, oregon an app that tin suggest what to deterioration based connected your wardrobe and upcoming appointments. 

It’s wide this is the aboriginal stages of what Pei imagines arsenic a overmuch larger ecosystem, making immoderate of Nothing’s “first step” comments marque much sense. At the moment, you tin lone plan widgets, which evidently limits what they tin do. Apps indispensable besides beryllium created connected a web level with written inputs, astatine which constituent creators tin instal them connected their ain phones oregon adhd them to Playground for others to download. It’s disposable exclusively to Nothing phones, with the objection of the Phone 1, which Pei says nary longer receives large updates truthful can’t instal the caller apps. 

Over time, Pei tells The Verge this process of app instauration volition go “more and much seamless,” taking spot straight connected the telephone itself and possibly by conscionable speaking. Widgets are not the extremity crippled either, Pei says, forecasting much susceptible apps that instrumentality up the full screen, comparable to the modular apps we person today. 

There are besides the kernels of what could go a caller creator economy, if the thought takes off. Playground lets users instrumentality and remix apps others person made, gathering and evolving successful a akin manner to the unfastened root assemblage does today. For idiosyncratic who speaks a batch astir the moats smartphone giants Apple and Google person built astir their app stores,  Pei claims helium is not reasoning astir however to monetize the store yet. “I deliberation it needs to scope a definite level of standard earlier we tin crook connected immoderate concern exemplary we have,” helium says, adding that “YouTube could beryllium a bully illustration of wherever it could perchance go” for creators.   

Eventually — and here’s wherever the AI-native OS thought comes successful — Pei says phones could beryllium much proactive, changing apps’ placement, oregon adjacent suggesting apps based connected however we usage the phone. But adjacent then, this is not an OS. It is an interface. Pei admits arsenic much, leaning connected semantics to skirt the issue: “I conjecture the connection oregon the noun ‘OS’ could beryllium interpreted successful antithetic ways.” 

Pei tells The Verge Nothing has nary volition of abandoning Google’s Android, the strategy connected which its products are presently built.  “We’re not touching the little level code,” helium says. “Android is simply a large level to physique upon, and Android already has a affluent developer ecosystem,” Pei explains. People volition inactive request to download apps similar Instagram oregon Tiktok erstwhile starting up their phones, aft all. 

It’s an breathtaking caller diagnostic and perchance a caller and breathtaking creator economy. But determination is simply a agelong mode to spell earlier Nothing tin genuinely spell it alone. In a departure from the hyped AI-powered gadgets similar Rabbit’s R1 oregon OpenAI’s concern with erstwhile Apple decorator Jony Ive, Pei is not promising to bash distant with the smartphone conscionable yet. It is wide Pei believes phones are present to enactment erstwhile helium asks himself, “When americium I acceptable to accidental goodbye to apps?” and answers: “You know, not anytime soon.”