Nothing CEO Carl Pei Predicts End of Smartphone Apps
The era of manually navigating smartphone apps may be nearing its end. Carl Pei, co-founder and CEO of Nothing, believes that the next generation of mobile computing will be defined by AI agents capable of executing user intentions without the need for traditional app interfaces.
Speaking at the SXSW conference in Austin this Wednesday, Pei issued a stark warning to developers: if an app is the primary source of value for a business, that model faces inevitable disruption. According to the Nothing executive, the current mobile experience—rooted in home screens, lock screens, and fragmented app ecosystems—has remained largely stagnant for two decades.
Moving Beyond the “Old-School” Interface
Pei argues that modern smartphone usage is inefficient, forcing users to juggle multiple platforms to complete simple, everyday tasks. He highlighted the friction involved in basic coordination, such as grabbing coffee, which currently requires switching between messaging, mapping, ride-sharing, and calendar tools.
The vision for an “AI-first” device centers on a system that understands the user deeply enough to act on their behalf. Pei categorized the evolution of this technology into two distinct phases:
- The Command Phase: Current AI features that perform specific tasks like booking a flight or a hotel. Pei dismissed this level of utility as “super boring.”
- The Intentional Phase: Systems that learn long-term user goals and provide proactive suggestions, even surfacing needs the user hasn’t explicitly identified yet.
Designing for Agents, Not Humans
A critical component of this shift involves changing how devices are built. Pei contends that the future does not lie in AI agents attempting to mimic human touch by tapping through existing menus. Instead, he advocates for creating interfaces specifically designed for AI agents to operate natively.
“The future is not the agent using a human interface,” Pei stated during the interview. “You need to create an interface for the agent to use. I think that’s the more future-proof way of doing it.”
While Nothing continues to support its current operating system—which currently allows users to create mini-apps—the company’s long-term strategy is focused on this AI-centric shift. This vision was instrumental in the company’s $200 million Series C funding round last year, where they pitched a device that prioritizes personalization and accuracy, effectively removing the need for users to double-check AI-generated outputs.