AI agents will become the new apps, Qualcomm CEO says

Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon believes AI agents will fundamentally reshape how smartphone users interact with digital services. 

Instead of switching back and forth between applications for task completion, users will be able to simply direct AI assistants to take care of multi-application orchestration for them.

Speaking on The Tech Download podcast show, Amon spoke about his vision of the future where AI will remove all friction associated with digital tasks.

Instead of using maps, then restaurant, then payment, and finally email, the user just says to the AI assistant: “Please make a dinner reservation for me.”

Amon emphasized that apps themselves won't vanish. Instead, their role fundamentally transforms. "Apps are not dead," he said, "but apps are going to change." As AI agents gain sophistication interacting with multiple services simultaneously, users increasingly bypass individual apps entirely. Agents become the new interface users engage with not app

Amon suggested AI agents extend beyond smartphones to smart glasses and wearables with cameras and displays. Imagine: while walking down the street, you recall needing a restaurant reservation. 

Without reaching for a phone, your AI agent handles the entire process and notifies you once complete. The agent operates throughout your day across multiple form factors.