A New Internet and the Dawn of AI Agents

The digital landscape is on the cusp of a monumental shift, and OpenAI's Sam Altman is offering a glimpse into this rapidly approaching future. In a recent talk, Altman didn't just discuss advancements in artificial intelligence; he painted a picture of a new internet, a world where AI is not just a tool, but the foundational operating system of our digital lives. This vision, while ambitious and exciting, also raises critical questions for developers, entrepreneurs, and society at large.   

The Core AI Subscription: OpenAI's Grand Vision and the Platform Dilemma

At the heart of OpenAI's strategy is the desire to become the "core AI subscription" for individuals and businesses. Altman envisions a future where OpenAI's models are increasingly intelligent, powering a multitude of services and even future devices that function akin to operating systems. He suggests a new protocol for the internet, one where services are federated, broken down into smaller components, and seamlessly interconnected through trusted AI agents handling authentication, payment, and data transfer. The goal is a world where "everything can talk to everything."  

However, this grand vision presents a significant challenge for the broader tech ecosystem: platform risk. While OpenAI aims to create a platform that enables "an unbelievable amount of wealth creation" for others, its simultaneous push to be the central AI service creates a precarious situation for entrepreneurs. If OpenAI controls the core intelligence and the primary user interface (like ChatGPT), how can other companies confidently build on top of it without the fear of being rendered obsolete or absorbed? Altman himself acknowledges they haven't fully figured out their API as a platform yet, adding another layer of uncertainty for developers. This tightrope walk between being the central application and the enabling platform is a complex one, as historically, successful tech giants have thrived by fostering robust developer ecosystems.    

The Generational AI Divide: From Google Replacement to Life's Operating System

One of the most fascinating insights from Altman's discussion is the stark difference in how various age groups are adopting and utilizing AI. He observes a "generational divide" in the use of AI tools that is "crazy."    

• Older Users (e.g., 35-year-olds and up): Tend to use tools like ChatGPT as a more sophisticated Google replacement, primarily for information retrieval.  
• Younger Users (e.g., 20s and 30s): Are increasingly using AI as a "life advisor," consulting it for significant life decisions. They are leveraging AI to think through complex problems, much like an advanced pros and cons list that offers novel insights.  
• College-Age Users: Take it a step further, using AI almost like an operating system. They have intricate setups, connect AI to personal files, and use complex prompts, essentially integrating AI deeply into their daily workflows and decision-making processes, complete with memory of their personal context and relationships.    

This generational trend highlights a crucial point: many are still trying to fit AI into existing structures rather than exploring its native capabilities. Just as the internet was initially seen as a way to put newspapers online before its true interactive and social potential was realized, we are likely only scratching the surface of how AI can fundamentally reshape our interactions with technology and information.   

The Future is Vocal and Embodied: AI-Native Devices and the Power of Code

Altman strongly believes that voice will be an extremely important interaction layer for AI. While acknowledging that current voice products aren't perfect, he envisions a future where voice interaction is not just a feature but a catalyst for a "totally new class of devices," especially if it can achieve human-level naturalness. This ties into rumors of Altman working with famed designer Johnny Ive on an AI-native device. The combination of voice with graphical user interfaces (GUI) is seen as an area with "amazing" potential yet to be fully cracked.    

Beyond voice, coding is viewed as central to OpenAI's future and the evolution of AI agents. Instead of just receiving text or image responses, users might receive entire programs or custom-rendered code. Code is the language that will empower AI agents to "actuate the world," interact with APIs, browse the web, and manage computer functions dynamically. This leads to the profound implication that traditional Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications might be "collapsed down into agents," as Satya Nadella famously stated. If agents can create applications in real-time based on user needs, the landscape for existing software providers could dramatically change.    

Navigating the AI Revolution: Challenges for Big Business and Opportunities for Innovators

The rapid advancements in AI present both immense opportunities and significant challenges, particularly for established companies. Altman points to the classic innovator's dilemma, where large organizations, stuck in their ways and protective of existing revenue streams, struggle to adapt quickly enough. While some, like Google, appear to be navigating this transition more rapidly than expected, many others risk being outpaced by smaller, more agile startups.  

For companies looking to integrate AI, the advice is to think beyond simple automation of existing tasks. While automation is valuable, the real transformative power of AI lies in enabling organizations to tackle projects and initiatives that were previously impossible due to resource constraints. The question to ask is: "What haven't we been able to do...that we now can do with artificial intelligence?"    

Looking ahead, Altman offers a timeline for value creation in the AI space:

• 2025: The Year of Agents. This year is expected to be dominated by AI agents performing work, with coding being a particularly prominent category. The "scaffolding" around core AI models – including memory management, security, agentic frameworks, and tool use – is where the current "gold rush" lies for entrepreneurs and investors.    
• 2026: AI-Driven Scientific Discovery. The following year is anticipated to see AI making significant scientific discoveries or substantially assisting humans in doing so, potentially leading to self-improving AI. Altman believes that sustainable economic growth often stems from advancements in scientific knowledge.    
• 2027: The Rise of Economically Valuable Robots. By 2027, AI is predicted to move from the intellectual realm into the physical world, with robots transitioning from curiosities to serious creators of economic value as intelligence becomes embodied.  

The Road Ahead: A Federated Future?

Sam Altman's vision is one of a deeply interconnected, AI-powered future that feels like a "new protocol for the future of the internet." It's a future where authentication, payment, and data transfer are seamlessly built-in and trusted, where "everything can talk to everything." While the exact form this will take is still "coming out of the fog", the trajectory points towards a more federated, componentized, and agent-driven digital world. The journey there will likely involve iterations, but the potential impact is nothing short of revolutionary. As individuals, developers, and businesses, understanding these emerging paradigms will be crucial to navigating the exciting and undoubtedly disruptive years ahead.