Hugo Barra, former VP of Android product management at Google, announced on Wednesday his new venture, /dev/agents. This startup aims to create a new operating system designed specifically for AI agents, harkening back to Barra’s experience with the Android operating system.
The company, co-founded and led by CEO David Singleton, envisions a cloud-based “next-gen operating system for AI agents” designed to seamlessly integrate with users across all their devices. Singleton highlighted the need for innovative UI patterns, enhanced privacy models, and a streamlined developer platform to facilitate the creation of effective AI agents. This new OS is intended to address the evolving landscape of AI, moving beyond large language models (LLMs) like GPT-4, Llama 3.1, and Gemini 1.5 towards more dynamic and interactive agent-based applications.
Current LLMs, despite increasing training data and computational power, are experiencing diminishing returns in performance. AI agents, capable of autonomous information processing, decision-making, and action execution, represent the next step in generative AI. These agents can perform complex tasks, ranging from generating code and booking travel arrangements to transcribing meetings and creating actionable tasks.
/dev/agents describes its mission as enabling a fundamental shift in how people interact with software. They believe agentic applications can empower computers to collaborate with humans in a more natural and intuitive way. However, significant obstacles, including current UI patterns, privacy concerns, and complex development processes, must be addressed.
Major tech companies are actively developing their own AI agents. Microsoft plans to integrate agents into its 365 Copilot ecosystem in early 2025. Google’s Project Jarvis, anticipated with the next Gemini update, will leverage AI to execute user-commanded tasks, such as web browsing and form completion. Similarly, OpenAI’s “Operator” agent, scheduled for a January research preview through their developer API, will offer comparable functionality. Anthropic’s “Computer Control” agent already empowers Claude to mimic human user interactions with keyboards and mice.
Singleton emphasized the current challenges developers face in building effective AI agents, stating the need for an “Android-like moment for AI.” /dev/agents aims to provide that crucial foundation for the next generation of AI applications. Their vision is to simplify agent development and unlock the full potential of this emerging technology, ultimately transforming how humans interact with software and the digital world.
