KDE turns 30 and someone's brought an AI-native desktop proposal

The KDE project is celebrating its 30th anniversary at its annual Akademy conference in Graz, Austria. The conference, which begins on September 19, features an AI-native desktop proposal that is likely to spark debate among attendees. This proposal was presented by KDE contributors Eva Brucherseifer and Jan Muehlig on Sunday afternoon in a talk titled "What would it take? A lovable, sovereign, AI-native KDE."

The proposal outlines a vision for a desktop environment that adapts to individual users, known as Kadai. This concept involves compiling a personal AI model on each user's device, enabling the desktop to tailor itself to the user's needs, device, and location. KDE's Plasma desktop is considered well-suited for this approach, as it already has features like Activities, Plasmoids, and an existing scripting surface.

To implement this idea, minor changes to the KDE infrastructure would be required, such as declarative reconciliation, per-widget capabilities, and richer Activity metadata. However, these changes have been met with mixed reactions. Some see the proposal as a significant step forward in desktop computing, while others, like writer and AI critic David Gerard, see it as a polarizing move, reminiscent of the Resonant Computing Manifesto.

The proposal may win some admirers but is more likely to divide the audience. For those who prefer to keep AI off their desktops, alternatives like the Sonic Desktop Environment are available.