Over the last two weeks, I attended a few Rosenfeld events on Sentient Design with Josh Clark and Veronika Kindred, which got me thinking:
What happens when we don’t need user interfaces anymore?
For years, screens have ruled our lives. They helped us work faster, connect more, and (let’s be honest) pile on more work than ever. Screens have been our way of tapping into computing power, but they have also meant more buttons to click, more menus to navigate, and more effort spent telling the computer what to do instead of just doing the thing.
But something’s changing.
When the mechanical revolution began, we needed ways to control machines, so we invented handles, switches, knobs, and levers. As technology evolved, we needed new mechanisms to access the power of computation—first through vacuum tubes and transistors, then through hardware like keyboards and mice. Over time, digital interfaces emerged, mimicking physical controls with buttons, sliders, and indicators.
But as agentive AI advances, it has the potential to reduce our reliance on these digital handles, switches, and knobs. Instead of manually manipulating controls, we can simply express intent, and the system can act. The forms of input are changing. The very “user interfaces” we’ve spent decades refining are evolving into something new. Machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP) are making interfaces disappear. Instead of tapping, swiping, or clicking, we just ask. Instead of wrestling with software, we just get results.
I’m proof of this shift. I’m writing this article while driving, just talking to ChatGPT. No keyboard. No screen. No UI in sight. And yet, words are being captured and recorded. That’s not just cool. It’s a fundamental shift in how we interact with technology.
Okay, if I’m honest, the title of this article is a bit tongue-in-cheek. Interfaces aren’t really disappearing. But the nature of interfaces is changing. They’re becoming more human-like. Instead of artificial (unnatural) screen-based interactions, we are shifting toward natural interactions. We don’t select from a limited set of buttons. We just talk. The system understands, then acts.
So what happens when we no longer need traditional, screen-based UIs? What does design look like when users don’t navigate interfaces but simply state their intent?
For years, designers have perfected UI design, but UI itself is evolving. Maybe it’s time we start designing for what comes next.
Where does this shift leave us as designers? It pushes us to broaden our thinking about what a “user interface” really is. We can explore the fringes of what’s possible with technology and propose solutions and new patterns.
It won’t be easy, and parts of it might feel a bit futuristic. It will require creative thinking. It will require working to develop technical expertise. We’ll have to build new kinds of prototypes with new kinds of materials. But isn’t that the fun and exciting part of design?
I’m excited about it. What about you?
