No, AI won’t kill the user interface

User interfaces have always mediated between human intent and system capability. With AI, this role grows more complex. Interfaces must now help users form intent, see context, and understand outcomes.

This will disrupt how users ultimately engage with technology. A user may begin with a typed request, then continue in a conventional workflow. They may start in a chat, but expect structured results they can validate. Users may even delegate actions to AI but still want visibility and control through the UI.

This means organizations can’t design experiences for one mode alone. They need strategies and measurement systems that track how preferences shift and where friction emerges.

Journeys that illustrate this new interface spectrum

Conversational commerce. Traditional checkout is linear: add to cart, enter payment, confirm. AI now makes this flow more dynamic. A customer might ask, “Can you find me a coupon for this and apply it before I check out with Apple Pay?” The AI can process the request, but the interface still matters. Users want to confirm their order details, shipping address, and total cost. The conversation handles intent; the UI provides trust and verification (1).

AI-powered search. Users are moving from keyword lookups to intent-driven queries. Instead of “red running shoes size 11,” the request might be “the best marathon shoe for training on concrete that reduces knee pain.” AI engines like Perplexity AI or Google’s AI Overviews can parse this intent, but they don’t return just a block of text. They combine synthesized answers with links, images, and sources. The interface clarifies reasoning, enables adjustment, and supports decision-making.

Both examples sit in the middle of the spectrum: hybrid experiences where AI handles interpretation, and the UI ensures transparency and choice.

The platform divide

How this spectrum evolves also depends on platform strategy.

Apple is leaning into on-device AI with Apple Intelligence. Summarization, writing, and personalization happen locally or via Private Cloud Compute, reducing latency and keeping sensitive data private (2). For applications where trust and confidentiality are critical, this aligns with user expectations.

Android is pursuing a hybrid approach. Gemini Nano runs on-device for lightweight tasks, while more powerful features come from the cloud. This enables faster rollout of capabilities, but it means more user data flows into cloud services (3).

For leaders, the issue isn’t which platform is “better.” It’s how your application strategy aligns with your users’ values. Privacy, performance, and capability intersect here, and the stance you take will shape the way users perceive your AI features.

What leaders should focus on

The core implication for CTOs, engineering leaders, and executives is clear: user experience strategy cannot stand still. The interface is not disappearing, but it is shifting into adaptive, intent-driven territory.

Three priorities stand out:

1. Locate your users on the spectrum. Are they leaning into conversational flows, or still preferring structured interfaces? The answer varies by segment, use case, and platform.
2. Evolve your design and measurement systems. Success isn’t just shipping AI features – it’s understanding how users interact with them. As Harvard Business Review points out, measuring AI requires moving beyond clicks to metrics like task success and user confidence (4).
3. Tie interfaces to business outcomes. Conversion, retention, and transaction value remain the measures that matter. The challenge is ensuring evolving interfaces translate AI capabilities into real results.

Closing thoughts

AI is changing the nature of the user interface — not by eliminating it, but by pushing it into new, more dynamic roles.

The leaders who recognize the spectrum, adapt across it, and measure outcomes accordingly will deliver experiences that feel natural, trustworthy, and effective. Those who don’t risk building powerful AI that users never adopt.

The interface isn’t dead. It’s evolving. And organizations that understand this evolution will define the next generation of user experience.

Sources
(1) Gartner, Inc. (2024). Top Strategic Technology Trends 2025: The New Human-Machine Symbiosis.
(2) Apple Newsroom. (2024, June 10). Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence system… https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/06/introducing-apple-intelligence-for-iphone-ipad-and-mac/
(3) Google. (2024, May 14). Google I/O 2024: Gemini comes to Android… https://blog.google/products/android/google-io-2024-gemini-android-ai/
(4) Brynjolfsson, E., & Li, D. (2023). The AI-Powered Organization. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2023/07/the-ai-powered-organization