Amazon’s Alexa chief predicts ‘death’ of app experience on your smartphones
Panos Panay, Amazon’s head of devices and services, has predicted a big change in consumer technology. According to the executive, the current tech like smartphones and apps is approaching a tipping point due to social media and the rise of generative AI. He said that young generation will consume technology ‘without screens’ and defined by “ambient intelligence”.Speaking at the Fortune Brainstorm AI conference, Panay said Panay says we are looking at “ambient” future where technology fades into the background of daily life as the next generation of users is growing tired of “doom scrolling”. “There’s a whole younger generation coming up that I think at some point they get tired of doom scrolling,” he said, adding, “They’re going to just think differently. You’ve got to make sure you have products in their pockets, on their bodies, in their homes that they don’t expect… [but] expect to connect seamlessly.”
Panos Panay: Shift to ‘ambient intelligence ’ coming soon
According to Panay, the future of AI isn’t about building a better app but about making the app experience disappear entirely. “It’s such a joy because there’s no opening a phone, opening the app, clicking, finding… none of it. You just ask the question and you get it back,” Panay observed.Panay said that Amazon is working towards that future by incorporating a better Alexa into its products while suggesting that the ultimate form factor for an AI assistant has not yet been created for public.“I don’t think we’ve seen the next form factor yet on where AI devices are going to go,” he said, adding that Amazon has a “lab full of ideas.”When questioned about potential competitors, like the rumored AI hardware by OpenAI and legendary designer Jony Ive, Panay pointed to Amazon’s existing portfolio of wearables, including the Echo Frames and earbuds. “I think you’re going to want your assistant with you everywhere you go,” he added.While talking on security, Panay said that this is an aspect that is non-negotiable.“I feel like it’s a contract with our customers, period. We break that contract, we lose our customers,” he emphasised.
