As AI agents become more embedded in our daily lives, a pressing question looms: Will the apps and products we use on our phones today survive, or will they be made obsolete by the rise of personal AI agents? With AI agents poised to take over tasks that once required manual intervention or a multitude of apps, the future of many existing products is uncertain.
Let’s explore what this shift means for businesses and whether their offerings can evolve to stay relevant—or get left behind.
Picture this: Instead of opening up four different apps to manage your day—checking the weather, finding the best route to work, booking your gym class, and ordering groceries—you simply rely on a personal AI agent that does it all. This agent seamlessly connects to a broad range of services and makes decisions on your behalf, pulling the best results without you ever lifting a finger. In this future, apps as we know them today might become obsolete.
Why open a weather app when your agent can prepare your wardrobe for you, based on the weather forecast in your area? Why manage multiple food delivery apps when your AI can analyze all options and select the fastest, most cost-effective, and eco-friendly choice? This is the challenge existing companies face: As AI agents become the dominant interface, many standalone apps risk being left behind.
So, what’s the solution? Should companies double down on their app development or pivot to cater to this new reality? The key may lie in making products AI-agent-friendly.
Currently, many companies operate within their own walled gardens. They build apps and services that function best within their own ecosystems or in partnership with selected collaborators. However, limiting compatibility could be a critical mistake in an agent-driven future. Consumers won’t care if their AI agent uses a third-party platform as long as it provides the best solution.
To survive, existing companies need to make their products accessible to any AI agent, not just those in their ecosystem. Companies that insist on maintaining closed systems may find themselves sidelined as AI agents prioritize flexibility and user convenience above brand loyalty.
The challenge for businesses is not just creating a great app but ensuring their product’s functionality can be utilized by AI agents in real-time, regardless of the ecosystem they belong to. This interoperability will be crucial in staying relevant in the face of shifting human habits driven by AI agents.
In this emerging landscape, AI agents will become the gatekeepers between human consumers and products. Instead of humans directly interacting with an app or service, it will be the AI agent assessing and selecting the best option on their behalf. As a result, businesses need to start thinking of AI agents as the new consumers—because, ultimately, they are the ones interacting and making decisions.
This changes everything. Companies will need to market their products not just to human users but also to the AI agents that act as intermediaries. How will your product’s value be communicated to an AI agent tasked with choosing the best solution for its human owner? Does your product provide data, integrations, and APIs that are compelling enough for the agent to pick over others?
Companies that fail to evolve their product offerings to cater to this new AI-powered consumer will find themselves losing relevance in the marketplace. The future belongs to those who can adapt their business models to serve both human users and the AI agents acting on their behalf.
As we move toward an AI-agent-driven future, existing companies must rethink their product strategies. AI agents are quickly becoming the new consumers, making critical decisions on behalf of human users. Businesses that continue to focus solely on creating apps for human interaction may find themselves left behind as AI agents take the reins, making apps redundant in the process.
To stay competitive, companies need to make their products open and accessible to any AI agent, ensuring seamless interoperability across platforms and ecosystems. By doing so, they can remain relevant in a marketplace that prioritizes efficiency, flexibility, and user convenience over brand loyalty.