The End of Screens: How AI Is Changing Our Devices

Imagine a morning where your first instinct isn’t to reach for a glowing rectangle. Instead, you engage with wearables integrated into your clothing, converse with the objects around you, and navigate your day through subtle gestures and voice commands. This isn’t a scene from science fiction; it’s the tangible future being shaped by artificial intelligence. The most profound shift AI will bring isn’t just smarter software, but the complete liberation from our screen-dominated existence.

While many debates focus on AI’s impact on critical thinking or the job market, a more immediate and visible transformation is underway. We currently live our lives bathed in the light of countless displays. In the coming AI era, this constant visual demand will simply fade away. The technology promises to free us from the tyranny of the screen altogether.

Why is this seismic shift not a primary topic of conversation? Sam Altman of OpenAI offered a clue when discussing his company’s collaboration with legendary Apple designer Jony Ive. He remarked that a new computing paradigm is a rare event. Historically, groundbreaking technology always seems impossible until the moment it becomes an unavoidable reality. The smartphone itself was once a far-fetched concept, with early prototypes appearing over a decade before the iPhone’s debut. The necessary technology and public readiness simply weren’t there yet.

This suggests we might be a decade or more from the “Great De-Screening,” yet the process has undeniably started. We are already texting less and talking more to our AI assistants. The side button on many phones now prioritizes advanced voice interfaces over older systems. The next steps will involve subscribing to personalized AI agents, installing smart speakers throughout our homes, and wearing AI-powered recording devices. As these interactions become more natural, we will naturally question why advanced, voice-first AI isn’t integrated into every aspect of our environment, from our cars and appliances to public kiosks. Voice is the killer application for AI, a fact hinted at by the very term “chatbot.”

For a true paradigm shift to occur, a revolutionary product is required. All eyes are on OpenAI, which appears to be positioning itself to deliver exactly that. Altman has assembled a team of Apple’s former hardware and wearables experts, led by Jony Ive, to work on top-secret designs. While their specific project remains confidential, the direction seems clear. The team’s known fascination with the film Her, which depicts a deep relationship with an AI assistant, hints at their ambition. To truly dominate the AI landscape, OpenAI likely understands the necessity of its own hardware, a device designed not as a smartphone, but as an always-on, voice-centric companion.

Screens have always been a clumsy intermediary, a necessary step in our technological evolution, but never a permanent one.

Could this device be a discreet in-ear piece? Legal documents from a trademark dispute suggest the answer might be no; it may not even be a wearable. This is surprising, given that Apple’s AirPods have conditioned millions of people to wear speakers in their ears, perfectly setting the stage for a next-generation, AI-optimized form factor. Furthermore, you don’t hire a master of design like Jony Ive to start from zero; his genius lies in refinement and redesign.

Alternatively, do we still need screens? Apple, Microsoft, and Samsung seem to think so, as they aggressively expand their smart home ecosystems with numerous displays. Meta is doubling down on smart glasses, though it’s difficult to imagine eyewear achieving universal adoption. Even novel, voice-first devices like the Rabbit r1, which its CEO describes as a move away from screen-based paradigms, ironically include a small display. Old habits, it seems, die hard.

The reality is that screens have always been a suboptimal interface. In a world often divided, a remarkable consensus exists on this point, with studies showing that a vast majority of teens feel their smartphone use is excessive. Screens are clumsy, a necessary evil, an intermediary step. While some will persist, their dominance is finite because they inherently slow down our interaction with the intelligent machines that serve us.

Now, envision a world beyond the screen. No more smudges or cracked glass. The physical strain of texting and staring down at devices vanishes. Video and imagery won’t shrink to fit a pocket; they will expand, projected onto surfaces or beamed directly into our field of vision. This will transform everything from navigation to interior design. If you found audio tours uninspiring, just wait. The entire world could become an interactive museum. We would wander as curious patrons, pointing at landmarks, gazing in wonder, and finally freed from our screens, we would spend our time talking, to the machines, to our surroundings, and to each other.

(Source: Wired)