AI Agents Could Make Software On Demand
Instead of navigating the same screens and menus every day, people could have AI agents create software around whatever they need to do.
Developed from a conversation between Pete Winn, Skyler Westby and Andy David
Most software is built to be permanent. You open an application, navigate its interface and work within the features someone decided to build. Skyler Westby thinks AI agents could change that. Rather than forcing people into a fixed application, an agent could create an interface for a particular task, adapt it as needed and potentially discard it when the work is done.
Email is a good example. Skyler finds himself constantly navigating messages designed to capture his attention, each pulling him towards another website, interface or action. An agent could sit between him and his inbox, filtering out the distractions and delivering what actually matters. Even a simple chat interface might be preferable to opening Gmail and dealing with everything competing for attention.
That raises an interesting question about the future of design. If agents can create interfaces whenever they’re needed, who decides what those interfaces should look like? Skyler thinks there’s still a role for designers in determining what people see and how information is presented. Over time, agents might learn which types of interfaces work best for particular tasks and simply generate them when needed.