How does Solaris differ from traditional software?

Instead of translating a design into code first, Solaris renders the interface itself in 720p and responds to clicks, drags, or voice commands. This is a break from how software normally works, where the operating system decides what happens on screen and an app stays the same until someone ships an update.

What are some use cases Runway lists for Solaris?

Runway lists use cases in online shopping, where users can drag a shirt onto a picture of themselves to try it on, and in product visualization, where you can say "move the table" or "change the color of the couch" and the scene reacts instantly. It also sees uses for tutorials and learning, showing the next step visually in its own context.

Is Solaris available now?

Solaris is a research effort for now. Runway is looking for partners for a launch and offers early access through a form.

Large Language ModelsAI Business & IndustryTHE DECODERSep 1, 2026Sep 1, 2026, 22:00 JST

Runway unveils Solaris, an AI that generates app interfaces in real time

Send on LINE

3 Key Points

What happened
AI company Runway has unveiled Solaris, the first model in a new category it calls "Interface World Models." Instead of running code, the system generates the user interface frame by frame as you interact with it, rendering the interface in 720p and responding to clicks, drags, or voice commands.
Why it matters
This is a break from how software normally works, where the operating system decides what happens on screen and an app stays the same until someone ships an update. Runway's bigger claim is that the "app" as a fixed unit will disappear, as an operating system could generate the right interfaces on its own, reducing the need for a fixed catalog of apps.
What to watch
Runway sees Solaris as a training ground for AI agents, which still fail at tasks like hotel bookings because they are trained on fixed layouts and can't handle websites that deviate from them. For now, this is still a long way off, as stable, readable text remains a hard problem, and the company is looking for partners for a launch, offering early access through a form.

Not sure about something? Ask the AI

Questions and answers are published on this page.

Summaries like this, in your inbox every morning.

Get news like this every morning, free

Context & Analysis

Solaris builds on Runway's video model Gen-4.5 and follows the path the company started with GWM-1. A language model decides how the interface changes, while the world model renders each frame. This positions Solaris as a continuation of Runway's work in generative video, applying it to the task of creating interactive interfaces rather than just moving images.

Runway's broader vision is that the "app" as a fixed unit will disappear. Today, getting something done means opening the right prebuilt app, one for shopping, one for messages, one for reservations. If an operating system can generate the right interfaces on its own, there's less reason to sort software into a fixed catalog of apps. An online store would then no longer be a fixed layout that everyone sees the same way, but a generated environment that adapts to each user. Whether people actually want interfaces that keep changing is a question Runway leaves open, and for now, stable, readable text remains a hard problem, along with long sessions and reliability. A generated interface also has to work with assistive tech like screen readers, making it a research effort for now.

FAQ

How does Solaris differ from traditional software?: Instead of translating a design into code first, Solaris renders the interface itself in 720p and responds to clicks, drags, or voice commands. This is a break from how software normally works, where the operating system decides what happens on screen and an app stays the same until someone ships an update.
What are some use cases Runway lists for Solaris?: Runway lists use cases in online shopping, where users can drag a shirt onto a picture of themselves to try it on, and in product visualization, where you can say "move the table" or "change the color of the couch" and the scene reacts instantly. It also sees uses for tutorials and learning, showing the next step visually in its own context.
Is Solaris available now?: Solaris is a research effort for now. Runway is looking for partners for a launch and offers early access through a form.

THE DECODERRead Original Article

Send on LINE

AI news that matters for your work, delivered every morning.

Pick your industry and the AI tools you use, and get news related to your work every day.

Get it free

Free · 30 seconds with Google · unsubscribe anytimeWhat is AIToday? →

Ask AI

Ask AI anything about this article. The AI reads this article, earlier AIToday articles, and Wikipedia, and cites its sources. Q&As are published on this page for other readers too.