We are living in an era of exponential technological progress, where artificial intelligence has moved from a distant promise to the strategic core of many companies and products.

Within this context, two parallel narratives that seem to contradict each other have emerged. On one side, the fascination with platforms that allow people to build applications using simple natural language descriptions. On the other, a growing thesis among technology thinkers that the concept of the "app" itself may be reaching the end of its lifecycle.

Naval Ravikant captured this idea in a phrase that has become a modern aphorism: “The promise of AI is no UI.” The promise of AI is not a better interface, it is the absence of interface.

This statement does not deny the value of today’s progress. On the contrary, it acknowledges the sophistication of tools that can turn prompts into flows, screens, buttons and automations. But it also proposes a radical break from the interaction paradigm that still dominates digital product design. The question is no longer just how we create interfaces, but whether interfaces will still be necessary.

The Allure of Automated Creation

It is impossible to ignore the appeal of AI-based app building platforms. They represent a clear leap in terms of speed. For the first time, professionals without technical backgrounds can bring ideas to life with just a few instructions.

The benefits are clear: reduced time, lower costs and working products in a matter of hours. The promise here is to democratize software creation, and there is real value in that.

However, while these platforms gain market traction, a fundamental disconnect is growing. They still operate within a paradigm that AI itself has already begun to challenge.

The Interface Paradox

Applications, as we know them today, are built around interfaces. Screens, menus, buttons, forms. The logic behind all of these is to allow the user to navigate toward a solution. But even the most intuitive navigation is still friction.

What AI is proposing and already beginning to deliver is something else: intention instead of interaction.

In the logic of autonomous agents, the user no longer needs to know how to get to the result. They simply express what they want.

The AI interprets the request, understands the context, makes decisions and delivers the outcome. No screens, no onboarding, no tutorials. The experience moves from visible to invisible.

Complexity Moves Behind the Scenes

When interaction disappears from the surface, it must be absorbed by deeper structures. The work shifts from visual design to data processing, decision modeling and contextual inference. The backend becomes the main actor.

In this scenario, the competitive edge will no longer be an app’s “ease of use,” but the silent effectiveness of a system that understands, learns and resolves with as little friction as possible.

This shift demands new skill sets, new architectures and new ways of thinking about product development.

Are We Investing in a Declining Paradigm?

There is a latent contradiction in the market. While AI points toward a future beyond traditional apps, we are seeing an explosion of solutions aimed at optimizing the creation of more apps.

It is a race to make more efficient a model that is quietly being dismantled.

This does not mean these platforms have no value. They play an important role in the transition. But it is essential to recognize them as an intermediate step, not the endgame. Those betting on them as a final solution may be investing in something that is about to be outpaced.

It is like heavily investing in typewriters just as the first personal computers begin to emerge.

Conclusion: The Real Value Is in the Invisible

The future of human-tech interaction is not about better screens or faster flows. It is about eliminating the need for interface. It is about making technology disappear, not due to irrelevance, but through seamless integration with our intent.

Architecture, product and strategy all evolve. And above all, the focus shifts from what the user sees to what the system understands.