OpenAI wants to build AI operating systems on subscriptions
Last year, OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, shared his ambitious AI vision, which requires “$7 trillion and many years to build 36 semiconductor plants and additional data centers” to fulfill. The audacious vision prompted TMSC executives to brand Altman a “podcasting bro” as the plan didn’t seem feasible.
Perhaps building on this ambitious plan, the executive recently shared his future plans for OpenAI, where the company transforms into a core AI subscription system. He further explained that the subscriptions will feature ChatGPT’s user experience (via @vitrupo on X – formerly Twitter).
According to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman:
“We’ll have a couple of other kind of like key parts of that subscription. But mostly, we will hopefully build this smarter model. We’ll have these surfaces like future devices, future things that are sort of similar to operating systems.”
Sam Altman says OpenAI wants to be your core AI subscription, the default interface to intelligence.Not just ChatGPT, but new surfaces that feel more like operating systems.The goal isn’t to dominate the app layer — it’s to own the layer everything else builds on.“If you… pic.twitter.com/9W1aL0Jmz9May 12, 2025
However, Altman admits that OpenAI hasn’t figured out the API or SDK that the platform will embrace. “It might take us a few tries, but we will,” Altman added, claiming the end goal for this venture is to create an “unbelievable amount of wealth creation” for people to build on.
Since its inception, OpenAI’s ChatGPT has seemingly evolved into the “everything” app. It’s a long way from its early hallucination days, where it would simply blurt out text based on the user’s prompt or query.
The chatbot now features an AI-powered search engine, appropriately named ChatGPT search, which experts warn could give Google and Bing a run for their money in the landscape. It also ships with OpenAI’s latest and advanced models with reasoning capabilities that allow them to think harder for the most complex problems.
This news comes amid the ChatGPT maker’s restructuring plans to transition its for-profit division into a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC). However, Microsoft, OpenAI’s largest backer with a $13.5 billion stake, has yet to sign off on the plan.
A recent report revealed that Microsoft and OpenAI are renegotiating the terms of their multi-billion-dollar partnership agreement. Interestingly, Microsoft is reportedly willing to give away part of its stake in the AI firm to continue accessing its advanced technology beyond the 2030 cutoff.
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