OpenAI Acquires Sky, AI-Powered Interface for Mac
OpenAI announced on Thursday that it has acquired Software Applications, Inc., the developer of Sky, an AI‑powered natural language interface designed for macOS computers. The transaction is part of OpenAI’s broader effort to expand its consumer‑focused product portfolio beyond cloud‑based services and to embed its language models more directly into everyday computing environments.
Sky enables Mac users to issue conversational commands to launch applications, retrieve information, draft documents, and automate routine tasks. First released last year, the tool quickly attracted a niche audience of power users seeking voice‑driven productivity enhancements. By bringing Sky’s technology and its engineering team in‑house, OpenAI aims to accelerate development of tightly integrated desktop assistants.
Industry analysts view the move as a response to intensifying competition in the personal‑assistant market, where Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Copilot, and Google’s Bard are all vying for user attention. Integrating Sky’s macOS‑specific capabilities could allow OpenAI to offer a more seamless and feature‑rich experience for desktop users, complementing its existing ChatGPT and API offerings.
Spokespersons for OpenAI said the acquisition will speed the incorporation of advanced language models into native Mac applications while maintaining strong privacy safeguards, including options for on‑device processing. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Apple has not issued an official comment, but observers expect the company to monitor the development closely given its own strategic interests in the macOS ecosystem.
The combined assets may lead to new functionalities such as contextual suggestions across the macOS suite, deeper automation workflows, and potential cross‑platform synchronization with OpenAI’s cloud services. Experts suggest that, if rolled out effectively, the enhanced assistant could reshape how professionals, students, and casual users interact with their computers, setting a new benchmark for AI‑driven productivity tools.
