Agents vs Operating Systems : The War That Could Kill Apps

Join "Interface Studies" to help make more videos. Your support keeps new content coming. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqv7gk4p_rB4nRz0j7B5yFA/join The Graphical User Interface (GUI) paradigm has dominated computing for over 50 years. From apps to windows, icons, menus, and pointers. It all came with a price. But what if this paradigm was never meant to be the end state? In this video, I trace the forgotten visions of pioneers like Alan Kay and Ted Nelson, who imagined computers as infinite, interconnected spaces rather than app silos. I also explored how those dreams were broken by commercial platforms, and why AI agents may finally revive them—though not without risks. From OpenAI’s new hardware projects with Jony Ive, to Perplexity’s Comet browser, to Microsoft, Apple, Google, and Meta racing to rewire their systems with AI. We may be witnessing the birth of the first truly AI-native operating systems. But can agents really replace apps? Or will they end up becoming just another layer of silos, this time powered by AI? --------------------------- Subscribe on Substack: https://interfacestudies.substack.com/ Happy to jump on a call if it'd be useful: design strategy, experience design, critique, feedback. https://intro.co/salehkayyali Elsewhere: X: https://x.com/mskayyali Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mskayyali.com ---------------------------