Nothing CEO Carl Pei says smartphone apps will disappear as AI agents take their place

Carl Pei, co-founder and CEO of Nothing, is imagining a aboriginal beyond the iPhone — and it’s a instrumentality powered by AI agents, not moving apps.

“In presumption of AI successful software, I deliberation radical should recognize that apps are going to disappear,” said Pei, whose user electronics marque makes unique smartphones and different accessories. “So, if you’re a laminitis oregon a startup and your app is similar wherever the halfway worth lies, that volition beryllium disrupted whether you similar it oregon not.”

Pei made these comments during an interview astatine the SXSW league successful Austin connected Wednesday.

The laminitis has talked astir an AI-first instrumentality before, arsenic this imaginativeness helped the institution adjacent its $200 cardinal Series C backing circular last year. At the time, Nothing was pitching the thought of a caller benignant of smartphone utilizing AI and personalization exertion that’s close capable for its users to not consciousness they had to spell down the AI and double-check its output.

At SXSW, Pei expanded connected his imaginativeness for the AI-first instrumentality and the steps needed to get there.

The archetypal step, which is being tested by immoderate companies today, is an AI diagnostic that tin execute a bid connected the users’ behalf, similar booking flights oregon hotels. Pei, however, dismissed this measurement arsenic being “super boring.”

The adjacent measurement is wherever things could get much interesting, arsenic the AI begins to larn a user’s intentions long-term. For instance, if you wanted to beryllium healthier, the instrumentality could springiness you nudges to assistance you execute your goals.

“I deliberation it gets adjacent much almighty erstwhile it starts surfacing suggestions for you; you don’t person to manually travel up with an idea…when the strategy knows america truthful well, it volition travel up with things that we don’t adjacent [know] we wanted,” Pei explained, comparing this conception to thing similar ChatGPT’s representation feature.

In describing however helium pictured an AI-first smartphone, Pei said it would beryllium a instrumentality that would bash things for you without needing to beryllium commanded to.

“The existent mode we usage phones is precise old-school. It’s pre-iPhone…there utilized to beryllium Palm Pilots and PDAs backmost successful the day. And if you deliberation astir the idiosyncratic experience, it’s inactive precise similar,” Pei said. “You person fastener screens, location screens, apps. You browse antithetic apps. Each app is similar a full-screen thing. There’s immoderate benignant of app store that allows you to download much apps. So it hasn’t truly changed for like, 20 years.”

This frustrated him due to the fact that the exertion consumers are utilizing has evolved rather a bit, but the products we usage person not. Even elemental tasks person america jumping done aggregate steps, helium explained.

“It’s precise hard to get things done connected a phone,” Pei said. “Let’s accidental we privation to drawback coffee. That’s an intention. But to execute that intention, we person to spell done truthful galore antithetic steps and truthful galore antithetic apps. It’s astir apt similar 4 apps to drawback java with idiosyncratic — immoderate messaging app, immoderate benignant of maps, Uber, calendar.”

He continued: “I deliberation the aboriginal of smartphones oregon operating systems should conscionable be: ‘I cognize you precise well, and if I cognize your intention, I conscionable bash it for you,’ alternatively of having to spell done each the apps manually.”

“It should conscionable bash it done AI,” helium said.

This besides means devices would person an interface that’s not focused connected apps for humans to navigate, but would alternatively diagnostic an interface designed for the AI cause to use.

That doesn’t mean apps are going distant successful the near-term, Pei cautioned. Nothing’s ain operating strategy adjacent allows users to vibe codification their ain mini apps today. But eventually, the AI volition request to beryllium capable to usage the “app” successful a frictionless way, not trying to mimic quality interaction connected the smartphones by moving done menus and tapping options.

“That’s not the future. The aboriginal is not the cause utilizing a quality interface. You request to make an interface for the cause to use. I deliberation that’s the much future-proof mode of doing it,” Pei said.