OpenAI wants ChatGPT to become an operating system, not just another app
By turning ChatGPT into a central interface for apps, search, and services, OpenAI is quietly rethinking how people start and complete everyday digital tasks.
Everyday tasks now live across too many screens. You write in one app, search in another, check messages in a third, and repeat the cycle all day. It gets the job done, but it also creates small delays and constant switching.
OpenAI is trying to reduce that friction. Rather than treating ChatGPT as just another app, the company is starting to see it as a central place where work, search, and services can all begin.
Damilare Odedina
Why OpenAI wants ChatGPT to be more than an app
This idea became clearer after OpenAI hired Glen Coates as its new Head of App Platform. His job, according to OpenAI, is to help turn ChatGPT into something closer to an operating system, not just an app you open and close.
Nick Turley, OpenAI’s Head of ChatGPT, has also been open about this direction. Speaking to TechCrunch, he said the long-term goal is for ChatGPT to work like an operating system where users can access different tools and services from one central interface.
In simple terms, the vision looks like this. You open ChatGPT. If you want to write, there is a writing app inside it. If you want to code, there is a coding app. If you want to plan a trip, shop, or manage a task, those services live inside the same space. You don't need to jump between separate apps anymore.
Emmanuel Umahi
Some of this is already happening. OpenAI recently added an app system inside ChatGPT, allowing third-party services to run directly within conversations. Apps from companies like Canva, Spotify, Tripadvisor, and Peloton can already plug into the platform, letting users complete tasks without leaving the chat.
This is important because an operating system isn't just software. It's the layer that connects users, apps, and eventually hardware. ChatGPT already handles the user side by acting as the main interface. What it still lacks is deeper control over devices and system-level functions. That is where platform experience and future hardware come in.
OpenAI’s timing also matters. The company is reportedly working with former Apple designer Jony Ive on a new AI-focused device expected around 2027. At the same time, it continues to expand partnerships with companies like Adobe and PayPal. These moves suggest OpenAI is thinking beyond software and toward an ecosystem.
Looking at today’s operating systems helps explain the ambition. Windows and macOS organize apps around files and windows. Android and iOS organize them around mobile apps and notifications. ChatGPT would organize everything around conversation and intent. You say what you want, and the system figures out which tools to use.
That would be a big shift in how people interact with computers. There's still no clear timeline, and OpenAI hasn't said ChatGPT will fully replace existing operating systems. But the direction is becoming harder to ignore. ChatGPT is slowly moving from a helpful tool to a central layer that connects apps, services, and eventually devices.
If this vision holds, the future of computing may not start with a home screen or an app grid. It may start with a single question typed into a chat box.
Louis Eriakha
