This is a similar argument to "Dropbox is a feature, not a product" and it definitely rings true in this instance too. I remember the litany of applications that only supported sync through Dropbox. It had no ecosystem, it's saving grace was that no one yet was operating a service similar at that scale.

All the major AI companies are trying to manufacture their own ecosystems to become less disposable. They'll get away with it for a while, but only insofar as hardware prevents advanced use. Once we get that hardware[1] there will only be two types of AI companies: hardware manufacturers, and labs. Just like sync became trivial and ancillary, so will AI inference.

[1] https://taalas.com/the-path-to-ubiquitous-ai/

and the differentiating factor on hardware will be the seamlessness of the interface, in software. the combination of voice, eye tracking, swiping, capture of intent, being able to mumble to myself at a volume only my device can hear. The hardware needs to be little more than something that gets out of the way and acts as an input device with a battery.