The Next Personal Software Won't Be an App

OpenAI describes Codex plugins as bundles of apps, skills, instructions, and workflows. Reading that, I kept coming back to a much simpler question: what will people actually ask their computers to do? I think they will ask for the thing they want: "Update my CV", "send this email", or "prepare my agenda every morning." The agent will figure out whether it needs an API, an existing tool, or some code to get it done. Ask for the thing you want Today we usually translate a need into the shape of an application. We choose a product, learn its interface, enter the data it expects, and follow the workflow somebody designed for us. Even when another person builds the application, we still tend to describe the solution first: "I want a program that does this." Take the morning agenda. The useful request is: "I want my agenda ready when I wake up." An agent could read an authorised calendar, check the relevant messages, and prepare the document or notification. It may call an existing service…