According to TechCrunch, Carl Pei, co-founder and CEO of consumer electronics brand Nothing, stated at SXSW that smartphone apps will eventually become obsolete, with AI agents replacing them as the primary means of user-device interaction. Pei noted that today’s smartphone usage patterns differ little from those two decades ago—the lock screen, home screen, and app store framework have remained unchanged since the iPhone era, and users still need to navigate across multiple apps to accomplish a simple task. He used the example of “meeting a friend for coffee,” which often requires switching between at least four apps: messaging, maps, ride-hailing, and calendar. In his vision, future AI-first devices will deeply understand user intent, proactively complete tasks without requiring step-by-step input, and even anticipate needs by offering unsolicited suggestions: “When the system knows you well enough, it will suggest things you never thought of yourself.” Pei also emphasized that future interfaces should be designed for AI agents, not human workflows: “It’s not the future to make agents use human interfaces; the truly future-oriented approach is to create interfaces specifically for agents.” Previously, Nothing secured $200 million in Series C funding based on its vision for AI-first devices.
Nothing CEO Predicts App Era Will End as AI Agents Take Over Smartphone Interaction
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Summary
Nothing CEO Carl Pei told SXSW that AI agents will replace apps as the primary way users interact with smartphones. He said the current model hasn’t changed much in 20 years and forces users to switch between apps for basic tasks. Future devices should act on user intent, not human logic. Nothing’s AI-first vision helped it raise $200 million in Series C funding. The shift to AI aligns with broader AI and crypto news trends, and crypto news circles are closely watching how this unfolds.
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