At a recent industry event, Carl Pei shared his vision of a major shift in how people use smartphones, suggesting that apps may soon be replaced by AI-powered agents.
Speaking at South by Southwest, the Nothing CEO described the current app-based model as outdated and unchanged for nearly 20 years. He said the way users interact with phones today still relies on lock screens, home screens, and multiple apps, making the experience feel old.
“The current way we use phones is very old school. It’s pre-iPhone[..]You have lock screens, home screens, apps. You browse different apps; each app is like a full-screen thing. There’s some kind of app store that allows you to download more apps. So it hasn’t really changed for like 20 years, this interaction model.”
Pei called this system “boring” and compared it to administrative work. He explained that even a simple task like planning to meet someone for coffee involves using different apps for booking, messaging, scheduling, and travel.
Instead, Pei believes AI agents will simplify this process. Users will only need to state their intent, and the agent will complete all required steps automatically. This could include booking a table, informing the other person, scheduling the event, and arranging transport.
Pei also said AI systems could eventually handle more complex tasks, such as helping users improve their health. “And I think it gets even more powerful when it starts surfacing suggestions for you. I think over time the systems will know us better than we know ourselves and be able to really, you know, create great suggestions,” he added.
He concluded that apps may eventually disappear and advised developers to adapt. He suggested opening up APIs or using connector protocols like Model Context Protocol to allow AI agents to interact directly with services.
“The future is not the agent using a human interface. You need to create an interface for the agent to use. I think that’s the more future-proof way of doing it,” Pei said.
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