Summary
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AI Desktop 98 runs modern LLMs inside a Windows 98-style desktop for a fun and nostalgic AI experience.
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Retro touches: Recycle Bin for chats, dial-up browser loading, and Minesweeper.
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Works with Claude, OpenAI, Gemini, Apple Intelligence, Groq and local models; Currently only iOS.
For me, one of the most interesting ways to explore retro technology is to imagine whether the sequence of inventions was different than what we experience in real life. For example, what if we managed to figure out how to get LLMs like Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini up and running? before Did we go through the Y2K virus scare?
If you want a glimpse of what this alternate reality will look like, then AI Desktop 98 may be for you. It’s an app that lets you run your AI assistants on a Windows 98-style desktop, and it looks like what the writers of Back to the Future 2 would have imagined if they were asked to include LLM in the movie.
AI Desktop 98 shows us a reality where Clippy was really useful
And it looks glorious
Beyond the Close AI subreddituser SoftSuccessful1414 talks about what inspired them to create AI Desktop 98. It all started when Claude was asked to make a role-playing game as if it were on Windows 98, and he did a surprisingly good job of playing the role. SoftSuccessful1414 even claims that Claude intended to wait for a modem connection before speaking.
That inspired SoftSuccessful1414 to go one step further and make a complete application that brings your favorite LLMs back to 1998. While the inspiration came from Claude, AI Desktop 98 also works with Apple Intelligence, OpenAI, Gemini, Groq, and local MLX models. However, it’s not just a pretty user interface; The app also comes with some nice retro touches, including a Recycle Bin for deleted chats, a browser that loads websites as if you were on dial-up, and Minesweeper. Because, of course, you need Minesweeper.
Right now, the app only appears to be available in Apple’s App Store, with no indication of an Android version on the horizon. Still, it’s a cool app that shows how inventive people can be with their LLMs.
