The era of OS and apps is about to end, Satya Nadella said – the era of ‘AI Agents’ is starting

Wherever everyone is talking about AI, Microsoft believes that the next computing revolution will be determined not by operating systems or applications, but by Artificial Intelligence agents. At the company’s BUILD 2026 developer conference, Satya Nadella said that Microsoft is now moving away from apps and OS towards a world where AI agents will become the main interface between people and computers.

Satya Nadella’s comments came as Microsoft introduced Project Solara, a new chip-to-cloud platform built in partnership with Qualcomm, it calls agent-first computing. The company argues that AI agents are moving beyond assistants embedded inside apps and will increasingly work across software, devices and workflows. This may change the way computers are made and used in the future.

Why does Microsoft think AI agents will replace apps?

Microsoft described three stages of AI integration. The first places AI as a helper with an app, like today’s chatbots and co-pilots. The second embeds AI directly inside the application, making it the center of the user experience. The third and largest stage, AI maintains context by working outside of individual apps, coordinating workflows across multiple applications, services, and devices. Solara has been specially designed for this third model.

A special part of the platform is what Microsoft calls Just-in-Time UI. Instead of developers creating different interfaces for different devices, agents will automatically change the user experience based on screen size, content, and methods of interaction such as voice, touch, vision, and multimodal input. The company says that this can significantly reduce the cost and difficulties of creating an entirely new device category.

What is Project Solara?

Microsoft describes Project Solara as a chip-to-cloud platform that blends hardware, software, and Azure cloud services to deliver an agent-first experience. The platform allows users to dynamically interact with artificial intelligence through a new, unique form factor.

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