Smartphone maker Nothing is seizing on the AI-powered app development trend with the launch of Playground, a new tool that allows users to create mini-apps and widgets using simple text prompts—a concept often dubbed “vibe coding.” This move, revealed on Tuesday, is the first tangible step toward the company’s ambitious goal of building an “AI-native platform” where software and hardware converge.
Playground enables users to generate simple widgets like a flight tracker, a virtual pet, or a meeting brief from scratch, which can then be deployed to the companion platform, Essential Apps. More technically inclined users even have the option to modify the underlying code to fine-tune the app’s functionality. For now, the technology is restricted to widgets, as the company acknowledges that building full-screen applications is not yet mature enough.
The launch follows a massive $200 million funding round led by Tiger Global, which was raised to fuel Nothing’s vision for an AI-centric operating system and new AI-centric devices.
Nothing CEO Carl Pei has been vocal about the stagnant nature of modern mobile software. “Something that has always bothered me is why we aren’t improving software?” Pei stated, pointing out that big companies often follow a “safer path” that results in slow iteration. He argues that with breakthroughs in AI, operating systems will become “more personal,” leveraging the vast context stored on our devices, which is currently underutilized.
While Nothing’s first AI-enabled app, Essential Space, offers basic functions like transcription and screenshot organization, Playground is a far more experimental play. As a small company with less than 1% of the worldwide smartphone market, Nothing’s position is seen by Pei as an advantage, offering the freedom to innovate where larger rivals are reluctant.
However, the “vibe coding” approach faces significant challenges, including security and maintenance concerns that have caused similar smartphone apps to falter. Pei acknowledges this, emphasizing that maintaining a high level of security while allowing open development will be crucial, given the company’s “millions of users.”
Currently, Nothing is focusing on building a vibrant community around the tools and is not charging for access, with the immediate goal being to foster contributions and improve the technology.
